Pockets Full of Posies
by Aiko-chan
Summary: As Fuu, Umi, and Hikaru participate in The Game, they learn things which will affect them forever on; and Nova, Hikaru's other self, begins to discover who she really is. Alternate-universe. Completed.
1. Level 1 - Sublevel 1

Level 1 + Dandelion Mystery  
Sublevel 1 + Mind Games  
  
  
Hikaru was playing the game, and it was a deadly one. This she knew, and this she loved, because of her second half.  
  
**We might get to see blood!** Nova rejoiced within Hikaru's heart. **Oh, Hikaru, don't you feel the adrenaline?**  
  
Indeed, she did, but it was not her own. It was Nova's, and Hikaru didn't want it. She was the peaceful one, to some extent. Nova had their bloodthirstiness, and Hikaru had their mercy.  
  
It was Nova's idea to enter the game, but Hikaru had obviously agreed. After all, _she_ was the one who had the physical form, not Nova, so in the end it was _her_ decision.  
  
She waited at the gate, nervous. She had suited up long ago, wearing the tight-fitting, flexible armor, the headset on, the friction gun in its clip at her waist. Hikaru leaned against the pillar at the side of the gate, tapping one foot in impatience and anticipation. Nova, meanwhile, was babbling on.  
  
**I wonder who our competitors will be. I hope they're strong, like you and me! Then we'll have a challenge. Oh, Hikaru, I can't wait! Do you think they'd mind if we seperated?**  
  
"Nova... we aren't going to seperate. It wouldn't be fair. It would be the two of us against them alone."  
  
**Oh, but Hikaru, we're one...**  
  
Then they both fell into silence.  
  
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Umi snapped her friction gun into its clip, running the fingers of her other hand through her pale hair nervously. She was excited about being accepted to play the game, but uncertainty was swirled in with the adrenaline. It _was_, after all, *The Great But Deadly Game* --- it was possible that her death would come about.  
  
But still, the game was such a thrill, she couldn't resist.  
  
Umi flipped her hair back over her shoulder, standing up from the crouched position where she had laced up her boots. She was late getting to the entrance gate.  
  
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+  
  
As Hikaru and Nova waited at the gate, and as Umi hurried to get there, Fuu hid behind one of the huge pillars that were scattered throughout the room where the entrance gate was. She watched Hikaru closely, and tuned her extra senses to the finest point to pick up the conversation between the braided girl's two selves. The way that Nova spoke frightened her, the desire to hurt and bleed and win discouraged her.  
  
She watched as Umi made her way to the gate, greeted Hikaru. _She_ didn't know about Nova. Umi wasn't cursed with the gifts that Fuu was.  
  
A deep sigh escaped her. Reluctantly, the blond girl stepped out from behind the pillar and made her way to the gate.  
  
When she arrived, Umi smiled in welcome. Introductions were quickly exchanged: "My name's Hikaru, my pre-game points are 120", "I'm Umi, my pre-game points are only 100," "I am Fuu, and my own pre-game points total 150."  
  
**Wow!** Nova responded gleefully, only for Hikaru to hear, and Fuu, since she was listening in. **150 points? Such strength! Hikaru, we have to fight her! I want to see what color her blood is.**  
  
_Red,_ Hikaru replied silently, _just like yours and mine._  
  
**But such strength...**  
  
"Perhaps we should begin," Fuu said, a bit too loudly, as she pressed a button on the earpiece of her headset. The green-tinted visor slid across her eyes, reaching the other side of her face. She pressed the next button, and the little microphone wire slid out, curving around an inch out from her jaw until the microphone hovered just below and before her lips. Hikaru and Umi mimicked her; however, since the eye visor was in color coordination with the colors of their armor, the one across Hikaru's eyes was a pinkish color, and the one over Umi's face was a pale blue, just barely tinted at all.  
  
"I've gotta admit," Umi said slowly, "I'm a little nervous."  
  
"I believe we all are, Umi-san," responded Fuu in a quiet voice. "However, we were accepted to play the game, and now we shall begin."  
  
The three young women, as though having one mind, turned and faced the gate. Each pressed her right hand against one of the three metal plates that were attatched to the bars. There was a hissing sound, a mechanical whirring and clicking, followed by a heavy, drawling sound as the doors of the gate began to swing out.  
  
**Now, now, now we begin!** Nova rejoiced.  
  
The gates fell into their open places with a heavy, dull -thudd-.  
  
Fuu straightened her posture. "Let us enter, then," she said in a strong voice. She stepped past the gates, Hikaru falling into step behind her, Umi behind Hikaru.  
  
Then they were through, and the gates slammed shut.  
  
The three girls, united only in their rivalry, found themselves standing in a great field of knee-high grass and dandelions whose golden heads peeked up from the green blades in perky inquisition. The yellow-spattered greenery extended as far as the eye could see in all directions, stopping only when it touched the clear, cloudless blue of the sky at the horizon. The wind, warm and summery, swayed the grass and caused the dandelion's heads to bob and sway in the sunshine.  
  
"Look." Umi raised one gloved hand, pointing across the field.  
  
A woman stood, poised and still, amongst the rustling grass. The bright flowers brushed against the creamy white skirt of her long dress, and she was motionless, as though she were a delicately sculpted statue. The only movement about her was the grass and the dandelions, and the only movement of herself was the slight billowings of her loose dress and the gentle swaying of her long blond ponytail.  
  
"Should we go to her?" asked Hikaru, unsure.  
  
**Run to her,** Nova demanded. Hikaru did not heed her.  
  
"Perhaps..." Fuu fell silent, focused her gaze on the woman, and began to concentrate her mind. She commanded the gifts that lay, momentarily dormant, within her, rising them to the surface of her conciousness and directing them towards the woman.  
  
A warm radiance, the scent of life and goodness became present in Fuu's mind as she mentally examined the woman. She felt the strange, familiar sensation as their minds slipped together, and she realized the woman's purpose.  
  
"She is waiting for us," Fuu announced confidently. "We must go to her."  
  
Umi stared. "How can you be sure?"  
  
The blond girl closed her eyes wearily, seperating her mind from the woman's. "As all people have their gifts, I have mine. I am certain." Then, assuming that her statement would be adequate, Fuu began striding through the rustling dandelions, heading for the woman. Hikaru and Umi glanced at each other hesitantly, then hurried after the other girl.  
  
The woman who was waiting for them stood far off, and the two girls trailing behind Fuu felt as though they weren't getting any closer, for their minds weren't as sharp in the ways of the game as Fuu's was. And hers wasn't understanding through experience --- none of them had had anything to do with the game before. But because of her gifts, Fuu understood the game, whereas her competitors did not.  
  
So even when they were actually only a few strides away from the woman, Hikaru and Umi still felt as though they were a long distance off, their focus clouded by the game's tricky nature.  
  
They stopped directly in front of the tall woman, Umi and Hikaru blinking in surprise, feeling as though they had arrived suddenly. Fuu stared at the woman, whose eyes were closed, and inquired, "What is your name?"  
  
The wind's strength increase, shuddering the grass around their legs violently, then became gentle again as the woman opened her chocolate-colored eyes, revealing the deeply etched wisdom within.  
  
"I am Presea." Her voice was calm, even. She still did not move, except for her mouth as she spoke and her eyes, which passed over each young girl's face in turn. "You have chosen to play the game." It was not a question, but the girls nodded in response anyway.  
  
"Please, Presea," Hikaru began timidly, "why are you out here, waiting for us? What are we supposed to do here?"  
  
Presea finally moved, turning away from the girls and kneeling in the grass. She gently seperated a dandelion stem from the earth, then stood again, holding the yellow flower before her in the loosest and gentlest of grips. "This is the First Level of the game," she announced. "You must pass me before you can move to the next level."  
  
Umi's brow furrowed in perlexion. "Pass you?" she inquired. "How?"  
  
The woman reached out with one slender, graceful hand, delicately tucking the stem of the dandelion into Umi's hair in a gesture of kindness. The bright golden flower stood out against the girl's pale blue hair as Presea said, "I am here to test you, to test your hearts. If you prove yourselves strong, you shall all pass to the next level. However, if even one of you does not pass my tests, all of your places shall be ommitted and your chance to play the game shall be canceled."  
  
"That isn't fair!" Umi insisted. "Why should all of us be disqualified if only one person doesn't pass?"  
  
Presea stared. "Because all of the players must be present in the second level," she said. "It is in that level that the elimination begins."  
  
A quiet sigh escaped Fuu, and she looked up at Presea. "May we begin our tests?"  
  
The woman nodded. "Yes. You shall be first, dear Fuu, as your pre-game points are the greatest."  
  
Not pausing to wonder how Presea knew her name, but rather trusting the woman's wisdom, Fuu nodded in acceptance. "All right."  
  
Presea turned to the side again, raising one arm and pointing at the horizon to Fuu's right. "Can you see that?" she asked.  
  
The blond girl shook her head. "I see nothing but dandelions and grass."  
  
Presea's eyes locked with Fuu's. "No. See with your mind."  
  
The woman's comment confused Hikaru and Umi, who stood off to the side, but Fuu understood and paid the other girls' whisperings no heed. She turned back towards where Presea pointed, focusing her mind as she had when she had slipped into the woman's own mind.  
  
She felt her mind merge with another, and as it did, terror like she had never felt swelled within her heart. Her viridescent eyes widened, her heart sped up, her palms grew cold and clammy in fear. She saw, just barely now, a figure rising, standing, growing to its full height at the point of the horizon, a great black sillhouette against the blue of the sky.  
  
Fuu tore her mind and her eyes away, whirling around the face Presea. "What is it?!" she demanded.  
  
"Not what, but who," the woman responded calmly. "He is one after you for your gifts, for your nature of gentleness. You are pure, and you posess abilities which are unacceptable to him. He wishes to capture you, taint you, rip away your powers of observation. He wishes for you to become yet another average, heartless woman, so that he might not be disturbed by your peacefulness."  
  
Fuu only half-understood, but the terror grew in her as she saw the shadowy figure moving through the dandelions towards her in long strides. He was so far away, but in no time he would be near, for his great steps.  
  
_Courage,_ she reminded herself, _you must have courage._ Fuu lifted her chin, holding her head high and her back straight, trying, in success, to appear as though she were not afraid, despite the tremors of fear inside.  
  
All too soon, he stood before her. Her eyes met his own amber ones, and wonderment replaced fear. He did not appear evil, or frightening, despite the hostility towards her he seemed to hold in his tan face. His hair was the color of the grass at her knees, long and swept back in a ponytail. Scars traced his features, over the bridge of his nose, along his jaw. He was a bit taller than herself, and although he was not extremely muscular, he was enough so and broad-shouldered enough to intimidate.  
  
He swept a dark gray cloak back over his shoulders, revealing that he wore a loose, dirt-brown shirt and black pants. His gloved hands rested at the sides of his waist as he announced in a voice of authority, "I am Ferio."  
  
Fuu swallowed the lump that was growing in her throat. "You hate me," was her response, rather than the return of her name. Ferio simply nodded. "And... you wish to destroy me, my heart, do you not?"  
  
He laughed. "Not exactly. I wouldn't think to harm such a pretty face as yours." He grinned wryly. "However, your heart is pure and your nature is gentle, and that simply will not do. Nor will those gifts of yours, those mental enhancements." Ferio swept strands of green hair from his eyes, continuing, "I'll admit freely that I hate things like that. I won't allow your peacefulness and your talents to exist in this place." He grinned. "And even if I didn't mind those things personally, I was commanded to do so by those above me. However, since I also hate your nature, I'm glad to perform the task."  
  
"But how would you go about this?" Fuu asked.  
  
"It's simple to remove those talents from your mind," Ferio answered. "It's the changing of your gentle nature that will be tricky." He winked. "And I'm not about to give away my secrets, or you might be able to resist."  
  
She glanced towards Presea for some kind of assistance, but the woman, as well as Hikaru and Umi, was gone. Fuu's heart beat faster. "And... why," she continued, turning to face Ferio again, "do you hate so badly my nature?"  
  
"Because this is a place of chaos, and in chaos, it isn't fair for such peace to exist." He smiled. "Now, if you've had enough of this drawling talk, I'd like to begin."  
  
He raised his hand from beneath his cloak, and she saw for the first time, as he grasped the hilt in both hands, that he carried a long, curved sword. Fuu fought down the fear, releasing her friction gun from its clip and gripping it tightly in her right hand.  
  
Ferio laughed, seeing her weapon. "You think that toy will work against me?"  
  
"It is worth a try." Fuu's thumb pressed the charge button, and she watched the heat meter out of the corner of her eye. The numbers ticked up slowly --- too slowly! --- as Ferio began to move into his attack.  
  
_A bit more..._ --- he was so close now --- _just a little more..._ --- too close!...  
  
Fuu's arm shot up, her fingers hit the trigger, and hot white light exploded from the mouth of the gun, searing Ferio's left hand and causing his attack to falter and miss its target. He swore, shook his hand to rid it of the burning pain, then spun around, all in one movement, to reattack. Fuu leapt away, lost her footing, and crashed to the ground.  
  
Dandelions swayed over her head as Ferio appeared over her, grinning. Fuu's thumb was on the charge button again, but he was already reaching down...  
  
Ferio grabbed Fuu's shoulder in one strong hand, hauling to her feet roughly. She winced, trying not to look him in the eye.  
  
"Don't you realize, sweet Fuu," he taunted, "that you're making your predicament worse?"  
  
"And how would I be doing that?"  
  
He grinned. "Do you honestly think I'd tell you that? It'd give you an advantage."  
  
Fuu brought her arm up, directing her gun towards his face. The mouth of the gun, with the warmth of the built-up heat inside radiating out, hovered an inch away as she inquired, "Tell me, Ferio, what do you think a friction gun can do to human flesh?"  
  
His grin remained. "Burn it away, of course. Those things can generate a lot of heat."  
  
"Well, if you do not put me down, I will press the trigger. I do not think you will enjoy that."  
  
Ferio raised one eyebrow. "Dearest Fuu, do you think I'm stupid?" He grabbed her wrist in the hand that didn't hold her shoulder, beginning to squeeze it in his strong grip as he continued, "I wouldn't suggest that you try to harm me. It's best to simply... give in."  
  
The blond girl's face contorted in pain as he tightened his hold on her wrist. She tried to reach the trigger, but her fingers wouldn't move.  
  
"I will continue to wear you down and build up your fear until you're weak, you know. You will grow tired, and I won't, because I'm stronger than you." He laughed a little. "Dear Fuu, I'm sure you know that. _I am stronger_."  
  
Fuu's hand trembled; she whimpered, and the gun slipped from her fingers, falling into the grass.  
  
Ferio released her wrist and her shoulder at the same time, flinging her away from himself. She fell to the ground again, this time without the protection of her weapon.  
  
He stood over her, tall and intimidating. "This is the part where I break down your peace," he said menacingly. "Can't you feel it? The gentleness, the calmness, that peace you have with yourself and with the world. It's breaking down."  
  
Fuu curled up in a ball, pressing her hands over her ears, her eyes shut tightly. She refused to listen to him, to his intimidating mind games.  
  
"You can feel it draining away from you. You _know_ that you're becoming all the things you fear: Angry. Fearful. Emotional. Your common sense is draining. You're loosing it, sweet Fuu. You're loosing your mind, yes?"  
  
Desperately trying to fend off his mental attack, Fuu dug deep into her memory, looking for anything --- _anything_ --- to distract her mind from him.  
  
"It won't be long, will it?"  
  
_Nursery rhymes._ The sing-song stories that her sister had read to her when she was a small child bubbled to the top of her memory. To herself, she began whispering about Peter Peter Pumpkineater, the cat and the fiddle, any other old rhyme that would come to her, anything to block out the painful sound of Ferio's voice.  
  
"I frighten you, Fuu, and that's my greatest strength. I have the ability to shrivel your courage, and when that happens, your peace and your balance begin to fade away, as they're doing now."  
  
_Recipies._ In a frantic, hushed voice, Fuu began listing the ingredients and procedures for making her mother's apple pie.  
  
"I can hear you trying to resist." Ferio laughed. "It won't work. I'm stronger than your chilidish defenses."  
  
_Bake for forty-five minutes..._ Fuu began to get to her feet, the sensible, methodical list of directions still running through her mind. Ferio watched, one eyebrow raised, until the blond girl stood before him, her jaw set, her eyes burning with a kind of calm anger.  
  
"I have been taunted before," she said in a deadly quiet voice. "I congradulate you, dear Ferio. You are, by far, the best who has even attempted to harm me."  
  
With this, Fuu closed her eyes, concentrating her mind.  
  
Ferio stared at her, not realizing at first. Then, his eyes widened in understanding. "No!"  
  
She paid him no attention.  
  
"Don't you dare---"  
  
Fuu felt the strange click in her mind as her concious merged with Ferio's. The hostility and intimidation that had been generated from him the first time was gone --- now he was frightened, intimidated by _her_.  
  
**It seems I have turned the tables,** Fuu "said" within their minds. **Don't you see, Ferio? Don't you see who is really the stronger of the two?**  
  
He said nothing, but she could see his thoughts. He was afraid of her now, afraid of the fact that she was using her abilities on him.  
  
**This is where the road ends, Ferio. You will not take my gifts, nor will you take my peace. My heart is my own, and it shall remain my own.**  
  
Fuu slipped out of his mind. His amber eyes were wide, and he trembled. Fuu raised one hand, waving gently. "Sayounara," she said calmly.  
  
Ferio turned away, vanishing in the sunlight.  
  
The girl stared after him for a while, staring at the spot where he had stood. Then she turned and knelt in the grass, picking up her friction gun and putting it back in its clip.  
  
Her earpiece crackled. "Fuu, you okay?"  
  
She pressed the button on the earpiece, turning on her microphone and responding, "I am all right, Hikaru-san. I believe I have passed the test."  
  
She glanced over her shoulder. Presea stood there once again, Umi and Hikaru with her. There was no expression on the woman's face, as before.  
  
"You have, indeed, passed the test, Fuu," said the tall woman. "Your heart and mind proved strong, and you have qualified to reach the next level."  
  
She turned, looking at Hikaru. "Now, it is your turn." 


	2. Level 1 - Sublevel 2

Level 1 + Dandelion Mystery  
Sublevel 2 + I Love You  
  
  
Hikaru played with the end of her braid nervously. "M-my turn?"  
  
Presea nodded. "Your pre-game points were less than Fuu's, more than Umi's. It is your turn. If you do not pass your test, the game shall end. None of you shall receive a second chance."  
  
The short redhead sighed, scratching the end of her nose. "Okay... okay, what do I do?"  
  
Presea folded her hands before herself, as though praying. She stretched her arms out, her hands still clasped, then opened them, folding them out so that they rested side by side, palms up.  
  
From her palms, a sparkly sort of pink light swirled up into the warm air. It spun and shimmered and drifted until it hovered before Hikaru. The girl saw Presea disappear in a flash, taking Umi and Fuu with her.  
  
**This is when the fun begins!** Nova cried joyfully, sending a rush of adrenaline through their body as the twinkly pink light shimmered and sparkled, spreading out and solidifying before their eyes.  
  
The light continued to grow more tangible, becoming less of a light and more of a person. Before long, all that was left of the pink light was a little bit of shimmering sparkles in the air, and that soon disappeared as well.  
  
A woman stood before Hikaru, her cotton-candy-colored hair and sky-blue eyes contrasting her deeply tanned skin drastically. She rested her weight on one foot, her hands on her hips, her shoulders gracefully sloped. She wore not much, just a tight, sleeveless back shirt that exposed her middle and an even tighter, perhaps even smaller, short black skirt. One foot, concealed by a knee-high black boot, tapped impatiently.  
  
"C'mon, hon, I don' got all day," the woman said with a strong accent, examining her bright pink fingernails. "I got places t' be."  
  
Hikaru blinked in surprise. **Oh, Hikaru, aren't you excited?** Nova asked.  
  
The redhead didn't respond to her other self. "Um... what's your name?" she asked the woman.  
  
"Caldina," was the short reply. "Now c'mon! Le's get started."  
  
"Uh, Caldina, I don't even know what we're doing," Hikaru said slowly.  
  
"Tcha! No way!" Caldina continued examining her nails. "An' I thought y'all were s'posed to be 'sperienced..." She sighed. "Hon, s'like this." She held up two fingers. "Ya got yaself two selves, right? An' one 'em's mean, one 'em's not mean."  
  
"Nova isn't really _mean_..." Hikaru insisted. "She's just... just..."  
  
"Hon, don' bother, I don' got the time. Anyway, y'all got two selves. All I need ya t' do is seperate ya two selves for me."  
  
Hikaru was bewildered. "That's _all_? That's my _test_?"  
  
Caldina shook her head. "Hon, slow down! Thas' all I wan' ya t' do for _now_."  
  
The short girl sighed. _Nova?..._  
  
**I'm ready, Hikaru! I'm ready!**  
  
There was a strange feeling, one Hikaru was not used to, as she and Nova hadn't seperated in a very long time. She shuddered. Then came the deeply disturbing feeling as Nova began to gain her physical form, forcing her way out of Hikaru and gaining her body as she did so. It was a horrible sensation, the feeling of someone crawling out of her back...  
  
But it was soon over, and Nova stood next to her, gleeful.  
  
Caldina looked her over. "'Kay... Now comes the hard part." She flashed a bright white grin. "Y'all gotta merge again."  
  
Nova snorted. "That isn't hard!"  
  
The blue-eyed woman raised one eyebrow. "Wanna bet?" She laughed a light, giggly laugh. "I ain' jus' playin' with ya. I did my part!"  
  
"What do you mean?" Hikaru asked, puzzled.  
  
The woman grinned. "I did somethin' to y'all. I ain' tellin' what, and I ain' fixin' it. But it's up to y'all to fix it yaselves and merge again or whatevah."  
  
"What if we _can't_?"  
  
"Then ya loose. If ya loose the game, everythin' that I did'll go away an' you can go back together."  
  
Hikaru glanced at Nova. "Okay..." Then, she did a double-take, coming to stare at Nova in bewilderment.  
  
The girl had cringed back, a strange expression on her face, one Hikaru had never seen there before... fear? She moved to step towards her counterpart, but Nova shrank back, whimpering softly.  
  
"Nova... Nova, what's _wrong_?" the redhead asked, still bewildered. "Why are you afraid?..."  
  
"Go away!" the other girl wailed, turning away, trembling now.  
  
Hikaru spun around to face Caldina. "What did you do?!"  
  
The woman shook her head. "That's your test, hon. Y'gotta get her t' go back in ya."  
  
"But..." The redhead turned back to Nova, who was staring at her with fear in her eyes. _But... **how**? I don't even know why she's scared..._  
  
The petite girl turned away, beginning to take small steps away as she thought hard, the dandelions brushing against her knees. "She's afraid of _me_," she murmured to herself. "But what... what about me is it?" She glanced back over her shoulder at the terrified girl. "What did Caldina make her see?"  
  
Hikaru turned around completely, facing Nova. The other girl whimpered as Hikaru asked gently, "Why as you so afraid?"  
  
Nova raised her arms, covering her face. "D-don't touch me!" she cried pitifully. Hikaru began to advance, slowly, gently, her arms held out in a loving gesture, but Nova still shrank away.  
  
"Nova." The redhead's voice was soothing, calm. "Nova, I'm not going to hurt you."  
  
"Yes you are..." Nova dropped her arms, staring back at Hikaru, her eyes brimming with uncharacteristic tears. "You'll hurt me..."  
  
Hikaru took another small step through the dandelions. "Nova, why don't you trust me?" The other girl looked away. "I would never hurt you."  
  
"How... do I know you aren't lying?"  
  
"Have I ever lied to you?"  
  
Nova shook her head slowly, hesitantly, and Hikaru smiled. "Well, then why would I lie to you now?"  
  
Her other half pressed her hands over her heart. "I want to come back," she whispered, "I really do. I can feel the empty space in me. But... but you'll hurt me."  
  
"No, I won't." Hikaru shook her head. "Nova, I promise you. I promise you, I won't hurt you."  
  
The tears in Nova's eyes spilled out onto her cheeks as she wailed, "I can't trust you!" An anguished sob escaped her, for she wanted so badly to trust Hikaru, and she turned away, falling to her knees in the tall grass, bent over with her hands over her face.  
  
Hikaru made her way slowly through the grass, then knelt next to the sobbing girl. She touched Nova's shoulder, causing her to cringe, but gently put her arms around her opposite self, holding her close gently. "I love you, Nova," whispered Hikaru as the other trembled in her arms. "I love you, and I can't hurt people that I love."  
  
Nova looked up, tearful. "You love me?" she asked, so quietly that Hikaru could barely hear her.  
  
"Yes. Didn't I ever say it before?" Hikaru smiled kindly. "Come back, Nova."  
  
A smile broke through the tears, and Nova's eyes brightened. She threw her arms around Hikaru, pulling herself to the other girl tightly, crying, "Oh, Hikaru, thank you!" Then she gave up her body, slipping into Hikaru and joining as one heart again.  
  
Hikaru continued smiling, her arms crossed over her chest as though she held Nova still. After a short moment she stood, turning and looking at Caldina. "Was that my test?"  
  
The woman nodded. "Yep. Ya had to prove that y'could really love someone an' prove it... somethin' like that. I dunno, I just received my orders an' carried 'em out..." She grinned. "I'll see ya later, hon!" She turned, disappearing beneath the sunshine.  
  
Hikaru continued smiling, staring at the spot where Caldina had stood, her hand over her heart. _I love you,_ she whispered inside.  
  
**I love you,** repeated her other self, with a tenderness Hikaru had not known Nova could express.  
  
"Hikaru." The short girl turned around, seeing Presea standing with Umi and Fuu. "You have passed your test and qualified for the second level."  
  
The redhead nodded. "I know... Now it's Umi's turn?"  
  
Presea nodded also. "Yes. Now it is Umi's turn." 


	3. Level 1 - Sublevel 3

Level 1 + Dandelion Mystery  
Sublevel 3 + Catch Me If You Can  
  
  
A sigh escaped Umi, for she wasn't looking forward to taking her test. Both Fuu and Hikaru had passed, and if _she_ failed, they all failed.  
  
Presea made eye contact with Umi. "Close you eyes," she said, "and do not open them until you are told to."  
  
Umi obeyed. There was a long pause, during which the only sound she could hear was the wind rustling the grass at her knees. The warm sunshine became hot as she stood under it in her blue-and-white armor, and she felt its heat on her cheeks and thought, _Great, I'm getting sunburned..._  
  
As agitation began to set in, and just as she was considering opening her eyes anyway, a small voice commanded, "Open your eyes!"  
  
Umi obeyed once again, and Hikaru and Fuu were gone, as well as Presea. The only other person who now stood in the great field of dandelions was a small boy with brown hair that hung low over his eyes. She smiled a little, bending over and inquiring, "And who are you?"  
  
"I'm Ascot," he announced, "and you're gonna play with me."  
  
Umi, having spent much time with younger children in her life, slipped into the overly-cheerful, all-too-enthusiastic voice she used when talking to small kids. "Really? What're we gonna play, huh?"  
  
The little boy grinned. "Tag," he said plainly, "and you're It!" He dashed off, giggling, through the dandelions.  
  
"Uh oh, hope I can run fast enough!" Umi laughed, running behind Ascot at a pace much slower than she normally would. She had played tag with children before, and knew how most of them liked to win.  
  
Ascot turned around, running backwards. "Can't you go any faster?" he shouted back to her. "This is no fun!"  
  
"All right..." Umi sped up, still not as fast as she could go, but fast enough that the boy had to hurry more to stay ahead. "Uh oh, looks like I might beat you!" she called up to him, grinning.  
  
"Not a chance!" he yelled back, throwing something over his shoulder at her.  
  
Umi dodged the item, her feet getting tangled in the grass as she did so, causing her to crash to the ground. Perhaps that was better, though, for it wasn't a second after she had fallen that an explosion erupted over her head, shooting out on all sides and searing the top of the grass. A few charred dandelion heads fell about her, but most had been incinerated.  
  
Umi woke up about then, realizing that Ascot was not like the neighbor's little children that she had babysat. She remembered that she was in the game, and that nothing was as it seemed, that she could not trust anyone here.  
  
She got to her feet, seeing the little boy standing there, smirking. "Uh oh, looks like I might fry you!" he cried, mocking her childish tone.  
  
Umi glared, preparing to backtalk the child, but he ran away immediately, crying over his shoulder, "Catch me, you're still It!"  
  
Agitation building up steadily, Umi ran after the little boy.  
  
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+  
  
Umi collapsed to the ground, the dandelions swaying over her as she lay there, panting, out of breath and overheated in the relentless sun. Ascot had led her around the eternal field, this way and that, searing the grass with his little explosives when she didn't run fast enough or ran too fast. It seemed to be a pointless thing, and for what felt like the hundreth time --- and perhaps was --- the though rose: _**This** is my test?_  
  
Ascot was standing over her now, frowning. "You're still It, Umi!" he pouted. "Why haven't you caught me yet? And I'm right here! Just reach up and tag me."  
  
She rolled over onto her back, still catching her breath. "I'm seriously considering taking out my friction gun," she panted.  
  
Ascot grinned, leaning over her. "That wouldn't be good, Umi." He stood up, dashing off. "Come and get me! Hurry!"  
  
She lay still, her breaths still coming heavily to make up for what had been lost. There was a long pause, then rustling in the grass nearby. Ascot peered over her, a scowl twisted on his small face. "I'm getting very impatient," he said, agitation in his tone, "and I would advise you to get up. Now."  
  
"Maybe _you_ should come _down_." The older girl reached up, grabbed his shirt, and yanked him down into the tall grass.  
  
The innocent face appeared once again, peeping out between the dandelions at her left. "You caught me!" he exclaimed. "You didn't chase me, and you should've, but at least you caught me."  
  
"Yeah, yeah. Is my test over yet?" Umi sat up, her breathing returning to normal.  
  
The little boy laughed. "Oh, not yet, Umi. There's still one more game I want to play."  
  
"Games within the game," she muttered to herself; then, aloud, "And what's that?"  
  
He leaned forward until his face was only an inch away from hers. "You have to find out what I'm hiding."  
  
Umi stared back with sapphire eyes. "_Please_ tell me you're kidding. This isn't seriously my test, is it?"  
  
Ascot sat back, shaking his head and sighing. "Umi, Umi, Umi... Things are different in the game than in the real world." He smiled. "Just guess. I'll give you clues."  
  
"O-okay..."  
  
The little boy thought for a moment. Then he said, "Red."  
  
She raised one eyebrow. "Red?"  
  
"Red."  
  
Umi cradled her chin in her hand, thinking. "Red... Strawberries are red..." She looked over at him. "Is it food?" He shook his head. "Oh... hm..."  
  
The boy stared at her as she thought hard, smiling a little. He thought how much she looked like something out of a storybook illustration, her pale hair being stirred by the wind, the grass rustling around her and the dandelions swaying close to her face in question.  
  
"Blood," she said suddenly.  
  
He was startled. "Blood?" Why would she think his secret involved blood? "No..."  
  
Umi sighed. "Can I have another clue?"  
  
Ascot thought for a long moment. Then, hesitantly, he offered, "Cherub."  
  
The older girl's mind worked hard over the problem. _Red... and cherub..._ She snapped her head up, staring at the little boy. "You..."  
  
His cheeks tinged pink. "Do you have an answer?"  
  
Umi smiled gently, leaning forward. "You've got a crush, huh?" He nodded. "On who?" He shook his head. "Oh, come on, you can tell me."  
  
"You passed the test," he said hastily. He turned away, vanishing.  
  
Umi stared at the spot where he had sat. She sat back, smiling to herself a little. Then an even voice behind her proclaimed, "This is the end of Level One."  
  
Things turned black. 


	4. Level 2 - Sublevel 1

Level 2 + The Three Staircases  
Sublevel 1 + The Cold Light  
  
  
When the darkness grew less and the light grew more, the three young girls found themselves standing before three staircases, one going straight up, one curving away to the left, and one curving away to the right. Presea was nowhere in sight.  
  
"I suppose we take the stairs," Fuu murmured. She pondered a moment before adding, "I believe each of us is supposed to take a different way."  
  
"Okay... I'll go this way." Hikaru started for the leftmost staircase, but as she put her foot on the first stair, she was thrown back, crashing painfully to the stone floor. She sat up, rubbing the back of her head and moaning, "What was _that_ for?"  
  
Umi glanced down at the redhead. "Maybe we can only take a certain one." She tried the one on the right, and she was not hurt. "I guess this is my staircase."  
  
Due to the process of elimination, it was determined that Hikaru would take the middle staircase and Fuu would take the left one. The three girls said their goodbyes, then headed up their respective stairs.  
  
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+  
  
Umi's climb was over a red carpet draped upon the steps. There was a slick wooden banister on the right side of the tunnel-like staircase, which she trailed one hand on. Red and white candlesticks were lit inside glass bubbles on the walls at intervals of every two feet or so, lighting the hallway pleasantly.  
  
Hikaru's travel was not so easygoing. There was no banister, and while Umi's steps were wide and carpeted, the ones in Hikaru's path were narrow and high and cold, bare stone. The walls were bare as well, with only crude torches widely spaced, so that she traveled in dimness or darkness most of the way. The air was dank and musty, and a foreboding grew in her heart as she climbed, and Nova delighted in it all.  
  
The contemplative Fuu did not have a pleasant climb, nor a dismal one. The staircase she was in had low, broad, smooth steps of polished wood and smooth, simple railings on each side. Little chandeliers hung from the high ceiling, lighting the way well. Soft white cloth was draped in low curves between the windows.  
  
Yes, there were windows, high, peaked things of a Gothic sort of style, narrow and tall. They looked out upon strange sights which troubled Fuu somewhat. There were gardens of bright red foliage in which bright spots of light shimmered and zipped through the misty air. There was a room where a tall, thin, black-clad man paced anxiously over bare gray stone, a white, dog-like beast trotting behind him. In another window was a high waterfall. At the top of the cliff over which the water spewed was a gathering of men wearing earthy-brown cloaks and hoods, and the men threw large, lumpy bundles down into the rushing waters. There were other things, too, but Fuu soon lost track of the bizarre and unsettling spectacles.  
  
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+  
  
At last, Umi came to the end of the stairs. She stepped out of the tunnel into a small, long, narrow room. The floor was bare stone with a strip of red carpet running up the center, and at the end of the carpet was a high chair turned backwards.  
  
She began striding across the carpet. The walls were bare, the floor was bare, and the only light came through two narrow windows placed on either side of the chair. Cold, pale light streamed in, and tiny bits of dust danced in the light.  
  
At last, Umi stood at the back of the chair. She stared at the ornamently-carved wood, summoned her voice, and asked, "Hello?"  
  
"Come around," said a dry voice. Umi obeyed, stepping off the carpet and around to the other side of the chair.  
  
A little man with lavender hair and bright blue eyes sat there. He was dressed simply in long robes of white, and in his hands he held a rolled-up piece of rough paper, tied with a blue ribbon. "I am Clef," he said plainly. "You are Umi, and you have reached the second level of the game."  
  
Umi nodded. "That's right. What do I have to do?"  
  
He looked up at her. "This is the First Elimination. Either you or one of the other two participants will be disqualified from the game. The only way that this can happen is through death."  
  
Umi balked. "D-death?!" she stammered. "You mean, I'm going to die?"  
  
"Not if you win the game." Clef stood and began to walk down the red carpet. "Come," he said. "I will show you what you must do."  
  
Uneasiness growing in her heart, she followed him.  
  
At the end of the carpet, Clef opened a small door where the staircase had been before. Inside was darkness, and he walked in. Umi followed, and the door slammed shut behind them.  
  
"_Eilidh_!" Brilliant light immediatly illuminated the darkness. Umi found that she stood behind Clef on a narrow white platform, and far beneath was deep, dark water. She swallowed nervously, glancing around at the four wide walls, then up at the high ceiling, trying in vain to determine the source of light.  
  
"You will regain the Light of Emeraude," instructed Clef, pointing down towards the water. "In the water live the Cellach, a race of aquatic people. They have stolen the Light of Emeraude, and it is your task to retrieve it." His icy eyes grew serious. "But heed this warning: The Cellach are violent and fiercely protective. They believe that the Light is rightly theirs, though it is not, and will not give it up easily."  
  
Umi fidgeted. "I have to go down alone?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"But... don't I get scuba-gear or something? To breathe underwater?"  
  
Clef smiled. "You need no 'gear.' You can already breathe in the water."  
  
"No, I can't."  
  
"Things are not the same here as they are in your world." Clef touched her arm gently. "You will be all right." He handed her the rolled-up paper. "Here, take this with you. It is a map so that you can find your way around the Cellach city."  
  
Umi smiled a little, accepting the paper. "Thank you." She turned to the side of the platform. "How do I get down?"  
  
"Jump."  
  
She drew a deep breath. "Okay..." Umi looked back at Clef. "If I make it out, will you be here?" He nodded. "Okay... Thanks again." And she leapt off the edge.  
  
Umi fell down, down, down, her long hair streaming behind her, clutching the map to herself protectively. The fall seemed to last an eternity, but at last she slipped into the water with barely a ripple.  
  
Taking an experimental inhalation, Umi found herself able to, as Clef had told her, breathe in the water. She didn't know how, nor did she question it; rather, she tucked the map in her gun clip and swam down into the murky depths.  
  
After a short while, a faint light became visible below. Umi swam faster, finding that she was approaching a bizarre city. _The Cellach city._  
  
The spindly buildings rose up from the seabed, carved of pink, blue, green, yellow, and white rock and coral. Water-lights, blue fire that burned in the water, shone out from lamps that lined the smooth sand that served as a street. Umi spotted what must have been young Cellach playing in front of a small, stout, pink coral house. They had skin in shades of pale greens and blues, ranging from nearly-white to the soft blue of the sky. Their hair was all twiggy and black, with seashells and carved coral clips stuck in. They were little, and they were playing a sort of game where they sat in a circle, five of them, and threw tiny pebbles into an upside-down scallop shell.  
  
Umi touched her feet to the sand, and a sort of gravity held her down as though she were on land. She crept behind buildings, avoiding the Cellach children, and headed towards a huge white stone building that had cryptic lettering painted on. She had a feeling that the white building was where she wanted to go.  
  
Hiding near the white tower, Umi pulled the sapphire ribbon off the rolled-up paper, then opened the paper. The black ink showed her that the white building was, indeed, where the Light of Emeraude was stowed.  
  
Umi tucked the map back in her gun clip, then stealthily moved towards the building. She peered in a low, round window, spotting a Cellach woman standing in front of a curtain woven of seaweed, a thin spear clutched in her long fingers.  
  
The young girl took her friction gun from its clip, pressing her thumb down on the charge button. However, instead of the heat meter ticking up slowly, the gun emitted a strange clicking and whirring, followed by a strained, high-pitched wail. Umi saw the guardwoman snap her head up and spot her before the gun exploded in her hand.  
  
Cursing, Umi reeled back. The thick glove she wore protected her flesh from damage, but the heat of the explosion was searing all the same.  
  
_Looks like I have bigger problems,_ she thought, seeing the guardwoman running out the door.  
  
As the Cellach woman came around the side of the building, Umi climbed up on the windowpane, tumbling through and crashing to the floor inside clumsily. She scrambled to her feet and dashed for the seaweed curtain.  
  
"Stop!" the Cellach woman shouted, but Umi didn't heed her. She pushed the curtain aside, passing to the other side of it.  
  
As the green curtain fell back into place behind her, Umi found herself unable to move. Before her, on a little pedestal, sat a glass bowl with a delicate domed lid set over it. From within the bowl, a cold white light shone out.  
  
She stared at the light, mesmerized. It was beautiful, compelling. Her fingers twitched involuntarily.  
  
This was the Light of Emeraude.  
  
Umi forced her body to move forward. With a trembling hand, Umi reached out, wrapped her fingers around the knob on the lid, and removed the glass dome from the bowl.  
  
She knew no more. 


	5. Level 2 - Sublevel 2

Level 2 + The Three Staircases  
Sublevel 2 + The First Plume  
  
  
Hikaru finally reached the top of the staircase. It felt like she had been climbing for an eternity, and the dank chill of the cold stone walls was seeping under her skin. She shivered as she pushed open the creaky door that was placed above the last high step.  
  
She was nearly blinded by the harsh light that came from the other side of the door. Hikaru's arm flew to cover her eyes, and after a short moment, she dropped it, squinting as her eyes adjusted.  
  
The redhead found that the light was not harsh, but had only seemed that way because of the darkness she had walked in so long. It was actually a soft, pleasant glow, filtering in through yellow-tinted windows. The room was small and square, with a soft, fuzzy white rug underfoot and clean, bright blue walls. It was bare, save for a high-legged chair that sat in one corner, the wood darkly stained and brightly polished.  
  
In the chair sat a man, tall and thin and beautiful, wearing a black shirt and pants and a white cape. His hair was pale and his eyes were a soft golden brown, and he held a narrow wooden box on his knees. He looked up, smiling warmly as Hikaru opened the door. "Please, come in," he said.  
  
Nova, who had fallen silent long ago in the stairwell, sprang back to life. **Hikaru!** she cried suddenly, **he's asking us to come! Let's go, let's go! We must see what's in the box.**  
  
Hikaru didn't move. She stood still in the doorway, staring at the man. She felt strangely drawn to him, but at the same time, a heavy wariness was settling over her heart. Hesitantly, she asked across the room, "What's your name?"  
  
He smiled again. "People call me many different things," was his reply. "Most of them I won't tell you. But one is The White Hood, and another is Songspinner, and yet another is Hidden Wings. But the one that you may call me by is the one that I ask most to call me by, and that is Eagle."  
  
Hikaru smiled a little. "Eagle." She crossed the room, standing before him with her hands clasped. "Eagle," she asked, loving the way his name sounding in the quiet echo of the blue room, "what's in that box?"  
  
His eyes met hers. "The other one would like to know, right?" Hikaru nodded. Eagle gazed deeply into the girl's cranberry eyes, looking past Hikaru and into Nova. "Nova, if you truly want to see what is in the box, you must come out."  
  
**I can't.**  
  
"She can't."  
  
Eagle stared. "Why not, Hikaru?"  
  
The petite girl averted her eyes. "Nova's afraid to come out again. The last time she did, it was hard to get back in."  
  
"In the first level."  
  
"Yes."  
  
Eagle looked at Nova again. "I won't tamper with your heart. I wouldn't dare."  
  
There was a long pause. Then, finally, Hikaru doubled over, not in pain but in something similar, grimacing at the unpleasant sensation. Eagle was greeted with the strange sight of Nova climbing out of the girl's back. Then the two stood before him.  
  
He held out the box in his strong hands. "Open it," he commanded Nova.  
  
She took the box delicately, her eyes bright in anticipation. Nova lifted the roughly carved lid, and the wood creaked faintly. The soft black cloth inside was revealed, and in a little nest in the cloth lay a small wooden flute.  
  
Nova looked up at Eagle inquisitively. He smiled. "Take it out."  
  
She did, shutting the box again and setting it down at her feet. Nova held the flute in both hands, gazing at it. "What do I do?" she asked. "I don't understand."  
  
Eagle's eyes met Nova's, and he would not let her look away. "The condition of your soul troubles me," he said softly. "It is dusty and shadowy and rusted. While it is true that you are a mirror, you are also your own person." His eyes were bright. "You are part of Hikaru, but you are not just a negative part. Pieces of her own heart are in yours, and hers is softer and gentler. Can't you tell?"  
  
Nova nodded a little, and he continued. "Your corners are ridiculously sharp. They must be softened." Eagle then rested his elbows on his knees, clasping his hands and resting his forehead against them, his eyes closed. "Play," he requested.  
  
Hikaru and Nova glanced at one another. "I... I don't know how," Nova responded. She turned to Hikaru pleadingly. "Let me back in, Hikaru. I don't..."  
  
Eagle sighed. "I am weary." His voice was much softer, and wispy and frail with tiredness and ache. "Nova, I beg of you, play."  
  
The girl glanced warily at Hikaru once more, then lifted the light instrument to her lips. Nova's eyes closed as she began to play, and as she gently fed air into the sweet-smelling wood, her fingers moved nimbly over the holes. The music poured out, sweet and slow and beautiful, and a slight smile found its way to Eagle's lips. He sat still, his head rested upon his clasped hands, and Nova played on.  
  
Hikaru watched, wondering. She knew that Nova didn't know how to play any kind of instrument, and how she was playing now was a mystery. _But,_ she reminded herself, _this is the game. I can't forget that. Things happen here that normally wouldn't._  
  
There was no movement in the little room, save for the small movements of Nova's fingers. At long last, her song ended on a single, quavering note. She lowered the flute from her lips, staring at it in her hands in bewilderment.  
  
Eagle lifted his head, smiling. "I knew," he said softly. "I knew that you could."  
  
Nova's cheeks grew pink.  
  
The beautiful man rose to his feet, reaching out and drawing both Nova and Hikaru into a warm embrace. "Thank you," he whispered. "Thank you."  
  
As the blackness that signaled the end of the level swiftly approached, Hikaru caught a glimpse of tawny feathers, fragile and trembling in the first plume. 


	6. Level 2 - Sublevel 3

Level 2 + The Three Staircases  
Sublevel 3 + Tempest Sea  
  
  
As she climbed the last few stairs, Fuu noticed that the hallway was widening. The walls gradually drifted away as she crept up, finally becoming so far apart that her fingertips could not touch them if she spread her arms wide apart.  
  
Then, as she came to a standstill on the third step from the top, she looked up at the huge, heavy twin oak doors that stood before her. They were as wide as the hallway, and they reached all the way to the high ceiling, coming to an arched point at the apex. Fuu furrowed her brow, wondering how she would ever get those gigantic doors open.  
  
She came up to the doors, grasped the intricately carved handles, and pulled experimentally.  
  
Nothing.  
  
Fuu placed her palms against the smooth, polished doors. She pushed.  
  
The doors opened easily, swinging away from her so swiftly that she nearly fell. They creaked and groaned until they came to a rest, wide open before her.  
  
Beyond the doors, a tempest sea raged. Before she had any time to react, the fierce waves reached into the hallway, snatching Fuu up in their greedy hands and pulling her in.  
  
The strength of the stormy sea dragged Fuu deep beneath the surface. She was disoriented, unable to find her sense of direction. _Do not panic,_ she told herself as she was thrashed about. _Let yourself go._  
  
She stopped struggling, and as the air in her lungs grew stale, she found herself drifting towards the surface. Immediately, she regained her bearings and swam for the top of the waves.  
  
Upon her surfacing, Fuu didn't even get to take a breath of blessed air before a wave smacked her in the face, dizzying her and pouring seawater down her throat. She choked, vomited, and gasped for air, struggling to keep her head above the water.  
  
Fuu scanned her surroundings hastily. All she saw was water towering over her on all sides, pummeling the surface, pummeling her. She was dragged under again, then again, then again.  
  
Weariness began to set in as Fuu fought the angry waters. Her limbs were screaming for rest, and her lungs were aching and slowly filling with water. She was just beginning to consider letting herself simply drown when the fierce waves slammed her against something hard.  
  
Stars swam before her eyes. Fuu reached out, her trembling hands groping for something to hang on to. Then --- oh, then --- she felt the most lovely thing she had ever felt in her life.  
  
Another hand wrapping around her own.  
  
She felt herself being hauled up, but before she could look up to see her rescuer, a rush of water banged her head against the side of the rock or boat or whatever she had slammed into.  
  
Her world grew dark.  
  
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+  
  
When Fuu opened her eyes, the world was blurry and made up of shadows and smears of color. She closed her eyes again, groaning softly. She was acutely aware of her burning throat, her aching lungs, the pain that stabbed every nerve in her body.  
  
"Oh, God, just let me die," she whispered.  
  
"Sorry, miss, but I don't think you'll be dying anytime soon."  
  
Fuu's eyes flew open. Her vision was still blurred --- where were her damned glasses? --- but there was someone leaning over her, close enough that she could make out the masculine face.  
  
"Sir?" Fuu found her voice shaky and hoarse. "Might you please hand me my glasses?"  
  
"Your... Oh!" He placed them on her face gently. "There. That better?"  
  
Fuu smiled weakly. "Much. Thank you." She saw that he had tanned skin and bushy black hair, along with thick eyebrows that were just as bushy. There was a small, x-shaped scar on his chin. He was smiling a little, but looked concerned. Fuu summoned her tired voice, asking, "What happened?"  
  
"It was storming," he replied, "and I looked outside and saw you out in the waves. You were close to the island, so I ran out and pulled you up from the rocks."  
  
She smiled. "Thank you. You have saved my life... er..."  
  
"Geo."  
  
"Geo-san." Fuu sat up painfully, wincing. She sighed. "I wonder what my test will be this time," she murmured to herself.  
  
"Test?" Geo leaned forward. "Miss, are you one of the girls _playing_ the game this time?" She nodded. "Oh... I didn't realize." He furrowed his brow, silent a moment. Then he stood, striding out of the room without a word.  
  
Fuu stared after him, concerned. She didn't like his sudden change of attitude. It bothered her very, very much.  
  
She slid off the cot she had been lying on, wincing again as she was strongly reminded of the pain. But it had lessened, and it continued to dimish as she walked to a mirror hanging on one of the blank white walls.  
  
Peering into the mirror, Fuu saw that her headpiece had been removed. Her hair hung wet and nearly straight around her face, darkened from its usual blond to a deep caramel from the wetness. Her pallor was exaggerated beyond its normal tone, and there was a dark, ugly bruise on her forehead, another on one cheekbone, and a third at her jawline. _I must have hit the rocks rather hard,_ she thought, frowning in distaste at the sickly-looking marks.  
  
Turning away from the mirror, Fuu sighed, crossing the room and standing at the wide window that was placed on the opposite wall, next to the cot. Outside, the sky was a solid, steely gray, and the thin sheets of bleak rain and the vaguely choppy surface of the water showed that the storm which had been so violent to her was winding down.  
  
Fuu was gazing out the window dreamily, her mind wandering for once, when she felt Geo enter the room again. She glanced back over her shoulder, and she saw that his face was grim. There was no smile upon her lips, either.  
  
**Are you ready, Fuu?**  
  
She balked, startled. Geo was speaking to her in the way that she had thought was only possible by herself --- that speaking without words within one's mind. Fuu stared, shocked. **You... you have the same gifts that I have?**  
  
**Yes, although I doubt that yours are as developed as mine.** Geo closed his eyes, rubbing his temples wearily. **To speak with words is so tiring... This way is much easier, yes?**  
  
**I am afraid that it is quite the opposite for me,** Fuu sighed, gazing out the window again. **To speak within my mind is rather tiring.**  
  
Geo came up behind her, handing her her headset. She placed it back upon her head as he grabbed her wrist gently in his strong hand. **Come with me.**  
  
Fuu found herself suddenly outside in the heavy yet somehow gentle rain. She blinked, startled, and glanced over at Geo. He had his arms crossed over his chest, the short sleeves of his dark green shirt plastered against his muscular arms, wet from the rain. **Fuu,** he began, **do you see what I am seeing?**  
  
She closed her eyes, shutting out the visual world. Through the link between their minds, she "saw," so to speak, the cave nearby, cold and wet and opposing. She felt the fear, heard the cries, and she shuddered.  
  
**Geo-san... what is inside that cave?**  
  
He took her wrist in his hand again, this time walking, leading her over the slippery rocks and down to the cave itself. A thin, sorrowful wail, trembling and frightened, rose from the darkness within.  
  
**Save her,** was all that Geo said.  
  
Fuu didn't question. She stepped inside the musty-smelling cave, shivering in the cold. She was out of the rain now, but the dampness in here made her wonder which was better.  
  
She crept deeper, crouching down to keep from bumping her head on the low ceiling. She pressed a button on her earpiece, and the visor across her eyes immediately kicked in, allowing her to see through the darkness, seeing the cave in a greenish glow.  
  
Fuu came to a little cliff; she lowered herself gently onto the slope, sliding down it with one hand behind her and another out in the air for balance. At last, she slid to the bottom, and there she saw the girl.  
  
She was a little girl, with very pale skin and dark hair tied up on either side of her head. She was curled up in a tight ball, whimpering and shivering and crying. She wore simple, dark crimson robes, which she pulled tight around herself as meager protection from the chill of the cave.  
  
Fuu crawled over on her knees, reaching out and touching the girl's shoulder. "Are you all right?" she whispered.  
  
The girl's violet eyes snapped open. She whimpered pitifully, shrinking away from Fuu. "Go away," she managed in a shaky voice. "Go away, you mean ghost."  
  
"I am not a ghost." Fuu gathered the little girl in her arms, hugging her tightly. "Are you very afraid?"  
  
"Yes." She sniffled.  
  
"Then I will get you out." But Fuu stopped. How could she get the little girl back up the slope and out of the cave?  
  
Then she knew.  
  
Fuu closed her eyes, holding the girl close to her as tightly as she could without hurting her. Focusing every fiber of that wretched gift of hers, Fuu thought of one place and one place alone: the seaside rocks where Geo waited.  
  
She _felt_ her atoms breaking apart, _felt_ them rushing faster than she had ever thought anything could move, _felt_ them reassembling. Then she felt the slick rocks beneath her feet, and the little girl in her arms, and Geo's presence at her side.  
  
Fuu opened her eyes.  
  
The little girl was staring up at her in admiration. "You saved me," she whispered.  
  
Fuu smiled. "What is your name?"  
  
"Aska."  
  
"I am Fuu." She set the girl down. "And now you are safe."  
  
Geo's golden-brown eyes rested on her. **You have won, Fuu. Just as I expected you to.**  
  
And the darkness ensued. 


	7. Level 3 - Sublevel 1

Level 3 + The Light Of Emeraude  
Sublevel 1 + Go, And Retrieve The Light  
  
  
Her head hurt. Oh, it hurt. Her temples throbbed and her skull felt as though it were about to split in two.  
  
Nova opened her eyes--- No! That couldn't be! She wasn't the one in control of her body, it was her other self!... No. She couldn't possibly...  
  
She sat up, holding her hands before herself and turning them over, examining her palms. Yes, this was her _own_ physical form, not Hikaru's. Oh, could it be? Could she _really_ have been separated from Hikaru for so long?  
  
The pain in her head intensified. She clutched her head in her hands, her fingers pressed violently into her soft pink hair. Nova's teeth clenched themselves, grinding painfully as her head ached so strongly.  
  
Shivers flew up and down her spine. Her skin was clammy and cold and sweaty. Nova trembled, her throat dry and her tongue swollen so she couldn't speak.  
  
Oh, what was wrong with her?  
  
Vague images swam before her eyes. Nova realized that she was, in a very distant way, seeing what Hikaru was seeing at that moment. It wasn't clear, for they no longer shared the same eyes, but they were still the same, and she still saw what Hikaru saw.  
  
Someone was crying. Pangs of remorse and pain pierced Nova's heart, signals from Hikaru. The evil hurt in her head grew more and more sharp.  
  
Couldn't anyone help her?  
  
Darkness swept away the unclear images. Nova fell, her hands still clenched over her skull.  
  
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+  
  
When the darkness faded away, Fuu found herself sitting on a narrow wooden bench with a high back. It was uncomfortable and raised high off the ground.  
  
There were more benches lined up in front of the one she sat on, and without looking back, she knew that many were behind, as well. Clearing her senses from the haze of the darkness, Fuu knew that she wasn't sitting on a _bench_, per se, but a pew.  
  
She rose to her feet, stepping out of the pew, her boots making a soft _tp-tp_ sound on the cold stone floor. A brief glance around herself revealed that Fuu was in an old-fashioned chapel. It also revealed the small redhead hunched over in the back pew.  
  
Fuu made her way up the aisle, coming to stand next to Hikaru at the last pew. "What is wrong?" she asked quietly, hardly daring to speak in the quiet of the church.  
  
Hikaru lifted her face from her arms; Fuu saw the petite girl's tearstained cheeks and trembling lower lip. "Nova's gone," she whispered. No sooner were the words past her lips than another sob wracked her tiny frame. Hikaru lowered her face once again.  
  
Fuu took Hikaru's hand gently. "Come on. We can try to find her."  
  
Hikaru shook her head. "She's not here. She's not anywhere." She sniffled pitifully, pressing her free hand over her chest. "I feel so empty. My heart hurts."  
  
The taller blond girl wrapped her arms around the little redhead. "I am sorry, Hikaru-san." Hikaru clung to her, whimpering softly.  
  
"I'm so scared..."  
  
Fuu put her hands on Hikaru's shoulders. "Everything will be all right." She helped the smaller girl to her feet. "Come on. Let's try to find someone."  
  
The petite girl allowed Fuu to help her to her feet. She leaned on Fuu's shoulder weakly, still whimpering, hugging herself desperately. Fuu wrapped one arm around Hikaru's shoulders comfortingly, leading her out of the old chapel and into a long, dark, narrow hallway.  
  
Heavy silence pressed down upon them as the two girls made their way down the hall. They passed gas lamps on occasion, but like when Hikaru climbed her staircase, they spent most of their walk in darkness.  
  
It was during one of those long periods of darkness that Hikaru whispered, "Fuu-chan?"  
  
"Hn?"  
  
"Where do you think Umi-chan is?"  
  
A slight shudder ran down Fuu's spine, although she wasn't sure why. "I do not know, Hikaru-san. Perhaps we'll meet her soon."  
  
"I hope so."  
  
Silence fell once more.  
  
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+  
  
Hikaru and Fuu reached the end of the hallway at last. Together they pulled open the heavy oak door that stood there, and they shielded their eyes against the bright sunlight that poured into the dank hallway.  
  
Immediately, hands grabbed the girls, pulling them out of the hallway. They were whisked away from one another, despite their cries of protest, and in the sudden bright light, neither girl could yet stand the light enough to see who had taken them. But when her eyes finally adjusted, Fuu saw that the people leading her away from Hikaru were three young girls.  
  
"Pardon me," she asked one girl with auburn pigtails, "where are you taking me?"  
  
"To bathe," the girl replied. "No offense, Mistress Fuu, but you're quite dirty. You'll need to bathe before our master can speak with you."  
  
"Your master?"  
  
"Yes," replied another girl, who had long, straight blond hair. "It won't do for you to be so filthy when you meet him."  
  
"Besides," said the last girl, one with soft, wavy, chocolate-colored hair, "your wounds need to be tended to. Those bruises are most unsightly."  
  
Fuu grimaced. "What about Hikaru-san?"  
  
"Mistress Hikaru is also being cared for," the blond girl replied.  
  
About then, they reached another oak door in one of the huge stone walls (Fuu had, by now, identified her surroundings to be a sunny, grassy courtyard, full of flower gardens and surrounded by four tall, broad stone walls). The pigtailed girl pulled the door open, and the other two hurried Fuu inside.  
  
They took her across a polished marble floor, bringing her through another low doorway, then another. At last, they were within a small room with a white marble floor and walls painted a soft butter yellow. In the center of the room was a round bathtub set into the ground, full of hot water and plenty of frothy white bubbles.  
  
The three young servants slipped off into another room, giving Fuu her privacy. She took off her headset and peeled off her armor and the skintight, leotard-like black clothing she had been wearing underneath before climbing into the bubblebath. The water was soothing, and as she washed her hair, she tried to figure out how long she had been within the game.  
  
_Days must have passed,_ she thought. _But why haven't I grown weary? Perhaps the times between the levels refreshed us... And also, I do not know how long I slept at Geo-san's home._  
  
At the thought of Geo, Fuu felt a sharp pang of loneliness in her heart. Somehow, she felt very attatched to Geo and Aska and Presea and even Ferio. Somehow, she felt as though she had known for many years the people she had met within the game.  
  
_But that is probably just the affect the game has had on me,_ she thought. Fuu glanced up, noticing the blond girl creep in, pick up Fuu's armor, and slip out again. She smiled. Those young girls seemed so nice.  
  
Fuu finished her bath, climbing out and wrapping herself in the soft robe that was lying, folded, beside the bath. She picked up the towl that lay there as well, drying her hair.  
  
Two of the girls came back in. They led Fuu into the room where they had been waiting and seated her in a soft-cushioned chair. One brushed out her hair, and it dried as she brushed it, twisting itself back into its natural curls. Then another girl, the one with the pigtails, rubbed a cold white cream into Fuu's skin over the bruises on her face. That done, the blond girl handed Fuu her armor, which had been cleaned so that it shone white and green more brightly than it had before.  
  
Meanwhile, as Fuu dressed herself in her armor again, two other young servants helped Hikaru in another room on the opposite side of the courtyard. The girls also let Hikaru bathe, and they brushed and dried and braided her hair. One girl, who had a long, pale blond braid, held Hikaru's hand as the other darker-haired girl brushed Hikaru's hair. "We know of your loneliness," the braided girl whispered. "We can't tell you where she is, because we don't know. But please, smile for our master. He would not like to see your pretty face so sad."  
  
Hikaru smiled a bit, although it was a rather sad smile. "I'll do my best," she promised.  
  
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+  
  
The three girls took Fuu into a grand hall with walls and floor of plain gray stone; the walls, however, were draped with banners and tapestries, and there was a wide strip of white carpet, at least one-third as wide as the room, leading from the doorway up to a low set of stairs. The stairs (there were few of them) led up to a low platform, on which were five chairs, extravagantly carved from some dark wood. All of the chairs were unoccupied, save for one, the one on the far right. In that chair sat a tall, thin man with dark hair. He wore simple garments --- just plain black robes. But there was an air of authority about him, and a grave, silent demand for respect was settled upon his sharp features.  
  
As the girls led Fuu up the carpet, she heard someone behind them. Glancing back, she saw Hikaru walking behind with two other servants. They made a company of seven, and when they all arrived at the foot of the stairs, the servant girls drew back, and Hikaru and Fuu stood side-by-side, both bathed and with clean armor.  
  
The man looked down at them, but he did not smile. "Welcome, Fuu and Hikaru."  
  
Fuu bowed a bit, and Hikaru mimicked her. "Ah... Honored Sir," Fuu began, hesitantly, "may I ask what has become of Umi, the other girl who was participating in the game?"  
  
The man closed his eyes. "Umi did not pass the second level."  
  
Hikaru stared at him, not understanding. "What do you mean?"  
  
He opened his eyes. "I mean," he said slowly, his dark eyes resting on her, "that Umi has died."  
  
A sharp pang of remorse stabbed Hikaru's heart. She stared back at the man, unable to speak, as Fuu asked, tears in her voice, "How? How could that have happened?"  
  
The man sent her a stern glance. "You, of all people, should understand that the game is deadly, Fuu."  
  
She balked, then nodded her head silently, a few tears slipping down her cheek.  
  
The man sat back in his chair, sighing. "You have both done very well thus far. However, this third level will be more difficult than either the first or second levels." He rested his gaze upon the girls gravely. "Do you understand?"  
  
They nodded voicelessly.  
  
"It is likely, but not certain, that one of you will die in this level. If you do not, then it will happen at a later time." He closed his eyes wearily, a deep sigh escaping him. "The only way for one of you to win is for the others to die."  
  
Hikaru's voice came frail and shaky. "I didn't know that, coming in."  
  
"Did you know that you might die?" He opened his dark eyes, sending her a quiet, inquisitive glance.  
  
"I... I knew that I _might_... but I didn't know I _would_."  
  
A brief flash of grief passed over the man's face; then it was gone. "You might not. Either of you may die. It is not certain."  
  
"But Fuu-chan's pregame points were way more than mine!" Hikaru protested. "She's... she's better than me."  
  
"Silence." The dark-haired man rose to his feet suddenly. "Follow me."  
  
He stepped down from the platform, sweeping between the two girls and heading down the white carpet. He passed the servant girls, who stepped away quickly as he went. Fuu and Hikaru, not knowing what to do except obey, followed him.  
  
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+  
  
They ended up in large hall, so long that the girls couldn't make out the face of the other person standing at the far end.  
  
The tall man led them down the length of the room. There was no conversation as they walked, but both Fuu and Hikaru thought heavily upon his grave words from earlier. They both grew increasingly aware of the risk they were taking by simply playing the game, and Hikaru was beginning to regret her decision more and more.  
  
Then they reached the end of the room.  
  
A little man stood before them. He had shocking, bright blue eyes and lavender hair. He held before him in his small hands a sphere made of what appeared to be glass. A bright, cold, white light shone from within it.  
  
The short man looked up at the tall one. "Thank you, Lantis, for bringing them to me."  
  
Lantis bowed deeply. "It was an honor, Master Clef." He backed away slowly, and Clef stepped forward. He held out the container of light, his sharp gaze resting upon the two girls seriously.  
  
"Do you know what I hold in my hands?" The girls shook their heads in negative response, and Clef cupped the sphere in both hands. "This is the Light of Emeraude. This is the center of this world in which the game takes place. This is the balance of our being. This is the pillar that supports the sky."  
  
Hikaru blinked, staring at the little ball of light. How could something so powerful be so tiny?  
  
"Touch it."  
  
Both girls reached out trembling hands, but as their fingertips touched the glass, they passed through. Fuu snapped her head up to glare at Clef, jerking her arm back as she demanded, "What is this?!"  
  
His bright eyes were sad. "This is not the true Light of Emeraude. It is only an apparation of it." The globe of light vanished, and Clef swept his hands towards the great windows at one wall. "The Light was stolen. It is being passed between the hands of many races of this world, for they do not believe that the Light was destined to be kept safe by men." His childlike features were grave. "You must seek out the Light of Emeraude and regain it."  
  
"Why?" Hikaru asked.  
  
"If the Light does not return to the safekeeping of its owner," Clef began slowly, "it will not be able to function as it is supposed to. It will flicker and die, and so its owner will die, and so this world will die."  
  
Fuu shivered. "Then... our purpose in this game is to retrieve this Light of Emeraude?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
She nodded. "I will do my best."  
  
"But, please, Clef," Hikaru begged, "please, can't you tell me where Nova is?"  
  
His face softened. Clef stepped forward, and Hikaru knelt before him, and he placed a hand on her shoulder. He leaned close so that his face was very near to hers.  
  
"Nova cannot be with you now," he whispered. "She is seeking Herself."  
  
Tears brimmed Hikaru's soft red eyes. "I don't understand." She pressed her hand over her heart. "I feel so empty."  
  
Clef smiled sympathetically. "Please, be at peace, and know that Nova will be all right. This is what is supposed to happen, and this is for the best." Then he backed away, standing next to Lantis. "Now go, girls who participate in the game. Go, and retrieve the light." 


	8. Level 3 - Sublevel 2

Level 3 + The Light Of Emeraude  
Sublevel 2 + Within The Pool  
  
  
The darkness faded, and Fuu realized she had begun the third level.  
  
It was very cold. She could see little, for it was dark, where ever she was. She could, however, make out the cold stones that she sat upon, and the same stones that made up the wall her shoulder pressed against.  
  
Stumbling to her feet, Fuu began walking the perimeter of the room, keeping her hand against the wall to her right. She counted twenty-three steps, then fifteen, then twenty-four, then fifteen again. She calculated that the room was approximately twenty-three to twenty-five feet by about fifteen or sixteen feet, and she had found no windows or doors.  
  
She did, however, feel a cool breeze. Upon scanning the dark room, she spied a few thin slits in the ceiling, which must have been a grate of sorts. Fuu could see out through them --- beyond the grate, stars twinkled in a midnight sky. That was where the breeze, as well as the little bit of light, came from.  
  
Suddenly, Fuu could hear the sounds of loud footsteps and several voices beyond of the one walls. Silently, she slipped into a corner, keeping as still as possible, praying that the bright white of her armor wouldn't be seen by whoever was coming.  
  
There was a cracking sound. A slab of wall slid back. _A hidden doorway,_ Fuu mused. _So that is how they get in._ Torchlight fell through the doorway. A dark figure collapsed in the rectangle of light, pushed into the stone room by whoever else was out there.  
  
"And you can ssstay there," a fierce voice hissed. Someone threw in a torch; it clattered to the floor, the flame flickering violently and barely remaining ignited. The door grated shut, and darkness fell once more, save for the soft glow of the torch.  
  
Fuu did not move. The dark figure remained still for a moment before crawling to its knees. It lifted the torch from the stone floor, standing. Fuu bit her lip to stop herself from gasping in surprise --- the figure's head nearly reached the ceiling. She had never seen such a tall person.  
  
The figure placed the torch in a holder on the wall, then slumped to the floor. Fuu could see its face now, and she saw that it was a man with a pale face and long, black hair. His eyes were shut, and he folded his arms over his knees. He leaned his head back against the wall, a deep sigh escaping him.  
  
Fuu felt her heart soften towards the man. He seemed so sad...  
  
She crouched noislessly, carefully moving herself to a sitting position. She leaned her head against the wall, staring at the man, wondering who he was, until she drifted off to sleep.  
  
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+  
  
When Fuu awoke, the tall man was standing, leaning back against the wall with his arms folded over his chest. The torch still burned, but now sunlight streamed through the grate in the ceiling.  
  
He glanced over at her with deep, dark eyes. Groggily, she thought for a moment that it was Lantis. "So. You're finally awake."  
  
His voice sounded like Lantis's, too. Deeper, though. Fuu got to her feet stiffly, using the wall as a support. She stretched her sore limbs, then rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. She stifled a yawn, asking, "Where are we?"  
  
"In the dungeons of the Heiat people." The man edged a plate with a half a loaf of bread on it towards her with his foot. "Eat something. You must be hungry."  
  
Fuu's stomach gurgled, revealing that she was. She knelt, gratefully tearing off a chunk as she murmured, "Thank you."  
  
The blond girl paced a bit as she chewed the bread. The man's eyes followed her. At last, when the bread was gone, Fuu turned back to him. "May I ask your name?"  
  
"Zagato. You must be Fuu."  
  
Once more, Fuu did not question how he knew her name. "Yes." She tilted her head back, gazing up at the morning sunlight above. "I wonder how we get out."  
  
"We don't."  
  
"If I may be so bold as to ask," she began, "why are you here in the first place?"  
  
Zagato grimaced. "Those reptilian barbarians caught me when I was trying to regain the Light of Emeraude from them. They threw me in here."  
  
She balked. "You... you seek to return the Light to its rightful place?"  
  
"Yes." He sighed heavily. "It is impossible, though. The Heiat are a fierce people. They will not stand for anyone taking what they believe to be theirs." Zagato gestured towards the cold stone walls. "They build strong prisons. We cannot escape."  
  
Fuu stood in the middle of the room, her chin in her hand, tapping her foot idly as she pondered. "I wonder," she said slowly, "how much heat it would take to melt that stone."  
  
Her eyes fixed on the wall, Fuu took her friction gun from its clip at her waist. She pressed the charging button; the numbers on the heat meter began to tick up.  
  
Zagato watched her as she lifted the gun, aiming carefully at a spot in the middle of where she knew the hidden door to be. The numbers climbed steadily, and the mouth of the gun glowed red. When the meter read nearly 500, Fuu squeezed the trigger.  
  
A wave of intense heat burst from the mouth of the gun, searing deep into the stone wall. However, it didn't go deeper than halfway through the thick stone.  
  
Fuu frowned. That wasn't possible. The temperature of the blast had been almost up to five hundred degrees Celcius, which was the highest her friction gun could go. It was impossible that it hadn't melted the wall.  
  
"I told you," Zagato muttered sullenly. "These walls are made of the strongest, densest stone known to any race. Besides, it's enchanted. The Heiat dabble in magic quite a bit."  
  
Fuu wrinkled her nose. "Magic," she snorted. "I am afraid I do not believe in such fairy tale subjects."  
  
His dark, serious eyes rested upon her. "It would do you some good, Fuu," he said quietly, "to realize the fact that while you are certainly both gifted and wise, you are young, and you have much to learn."  
  
He stepped away from the wall. "There is no way out, Fuu. I suppose we ought to simply accept our fate, eh?"  
  
Fuu furrowed her brow. "No." She began to pace anxiously. "There _must_ be a way out... there simply _must_ be."  
  
"Unless you can pass through solid stone and Heiat enchantments," he murmured, "there _is_ no way."  
  
Suddenly, she froze. Fuu stared at him. "Zagato-san." A grin spread across her sullen face. "Zagato-san, that's the answer!"  
  
"Pardon?"  
  
She grabbed his arm. "Where is the Light of Emeraude kept?"  
  
He hesitated, unsure, but answered, "It is in the High Hall."  
  
"Very well." Fuu closed her eyes, concentrating.  
  
It was much easier the second time. Fuu quickly seperated the atoms and molecules and bits of matter that created their bodies; shifted those particles between the atoms of the stone walls; wove between fine lines that must have represented the Heiat enchantment; sped them faster than light through a maze of air molecules; and finally brought the atoms back together in the High Hall of the Heiat.  
  
Zagato was gaping at her, shocked. "How did you come to have such abilities?! Only those of the High Council have ever..." His voice trailed off, and he shook his head. "Never mind." He sighed, surveying the empty room. "Now where have they hidden the Light?"  
  
"Where was it when you sought it before?"  
  
He gestured towards a cabinet at the far end of the Hall. "In there. However, I am sure they have moved it by now."  
  
Fuu glanced over at him. He looked so stern... His expression had only slipped out of its stony, grave mask once, and that was when he had stared at her in awe after she had brought them to the High Hall. And rarely did his voice ever change. He was always grave, always calm, always quiet. She furrowed her brow. It disturbed her.  
  
Shaking away her thoughts, Fuu began crossing the room. "There is no harm in trying," she said as cheerfully as she could.  
  
Zagato followed in her wake, insisiting, "You must be quiet. If the guards hear us, we will end up back in that dungeon."  
  
The blond girl grasped the handles of the cabinet doors, ignoring Zagato. She pulled the doors open. Three shelves were inside: bare.  
  
She sighed, closing the cabinet. Fuu sat down on the floor, picking at the carpet idly as she thought. "Zagato."  
  
"Hn?"  
  
She glanced up at him. "Why... why do you so fiercely seek the Light of Emeraude?"  
  
Zagato's hard expression softened noticeably. He leaned against the wall, his dark eyes shutting heavily. "The Owner... is very dear to me."  
  
"The Owner?"  
  
"The Light's Owner." Zagato was motionless. "If the Light does not return to the safekeeping of its Owner, it will flicker and die, and so its Owner will die."  
  
"That is what Clef told us," the precocious girl murmured.  
  
"Clef?" Zagato opened his eyes suddenly, turning and looking down at Fuu. "You have spoken with Master Clef?"  
  
Fuu stared at him, bewildered. "Yes... Why? Is something wrong?"  
  
He looked away again. "No. It is simply that... Master Clef is one of the most revered, if not the highest of rank, in the..." He sighed, shaking his head. "Never mind. You cannot understand."  
  
Fuu lowered her eyes, glancing to one side, away from Zagato. Then, suddenly, she noticed the fountain.  
  
It was made of plain gray stone. Shimmering dark water poured from a stone urn held by a stone figure that resembled a snake and a woman both --- likely a Heiat woman. In the mist that rose from the pool of the fountain, Fuu thought she saw, for a moment, the image of a woman more beautiful than any she had ever seen, with long, wavy blond hair and the saddest blue eyes.  
  
Fuu leapt to her feet. "Zagato."  
  
"Hn?"  
  
"The Light of Emeraude is in the fountain."  
  
He snapped out of his reverie, looking at her once again. "How can you know this?"  
  
"I know."  
  
Fuu made her way slowly across the floor to the fountain, Zagato following behind her. She knelt at the edge of the pool, her hands trembling.  
  
The tall, dark-haired man knelt next to her. "I do not see it."  
  
Tears stung Fuu's eyes, although she couldn't understand why. "I cannot do it alone," she whispered, her voice shaky and thin.  
  
Zagato glanced over at her, his face inexpressive, but his eyes radiating concern. "Do what?"  
  
She closed her eyes, her lips moving silently as she whispered something to herself voicelessly. She reached over, grasping one of Zagato's large, strong hands, and she plunged their hands into the dark water.  
  
It was cold, colder than ice, colder than shadows, yet at the same time, the water burned Fuu's hand with the passion of flame, despite her glove. She could smell the foul odor of the water, and she could feel its filth. Yet she pushed their hands deep into the dark pool, seeking something that she could only pray was there.  
  
Then --- oh, then --- her fingertips touched cool glass, glass warm in comparison to the icy water, and she felt the coldness that radiated from within the glass, and that was warmer than the water as well. Zagato's hand took one side; her own hand took the other. They lifted.  
  
The small sphere of glass emerged from the dark, foul water, shimmering and shining as the Light radiated from within. Zagato's eyes were wide, disbelieving; Fuu's were pained, tear-filled, once again for reasons she could not understand.  
  
The cold light shone between them, only extinguished as the darkness swept in. 


	9. Level 3 - Sublevel 3

Level 3 + The Light Of Emeraude  
Sublevel 3 + Broken Wings Of Erin  
  
  
When Nova finally opened her eyes again, the pain had dimmed, although it still drummed in her temples relentlessly. Her face was tight with dried tears, and her fingertips were crusted with dark dried blood, although she couldn't understand why. Reaching up and touching her soft cloud of pale pink hair, she felt the same blood crusting there --- she had a sudden flash of a memory, seeing herself clawing at her head and wailing in a wild, animal-like manner as the pain tore apart her mind. A grimace found its way onto her pale face; her stomach churned. Was she going insane?  
  
Climbing to her feet, Nova winced, her stiff joints and sore muscles aching fiercely. She stretched, yawned, shivered. Shakily, she wrapped her arms around herself, sniffling a bit.  
  
She was cold, and it was dark around her. Nova could feel hard-packed dirt beneath her feet, and she felt a cool wind at her back, stirring her hair. Her wide eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness, and she found herself standing on a worn pathway in the middle of a thick, silent forest.  
  
Crossing to the side of the road, Nova sat on a low rock there, shivering again. She hugged herself tightly, her cranberry-red eyes darting towards the shadows, seeking out other pairs of yellower, more sinister eyes that were never there.  
  
Then, at last, her paranoia was rewarded as the bushes on the other side of the path rustled. Whimpering softly, Nova drew her knees up, hugging them to her chest, huddling on the rock and trying to look invisible.  
  
A figure stepped out of the thick trees. She was small, and had an iridescent look about her, as though she wasn't quite there. Her pale blond hair fell to the ground in soft waves; her white dress shifted and billowed as she walked across the path and as the wind stirred it; her calm, sad blue eyes were focusing upon Nova's wide, frightened red ones.  
  
The slight woman reached out, brushing Nova's hair out of her eyes. "Nova," she said softly, her voice sweet and gentle. "Nova, why are you frightened?"  
  
Nova whimpered a little, cringing under the woman's touch. "I... I don't know."  
  
The woman took both of Nova's hands in her own, making eye contact. "Nova, will you come with me?"  
  
The cranberry-eyed girl looked up; the truth behind the woman's deep blue eyes gave her comfort and peace. She knew she was safe. "Yes."  
  
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+  
  
Hikaru opened her eyes to dizzying sunlight. Shakily, the redhead sank to her knees. She felt cold stone beneath her, and when her vision ceased its swimming, she glanced up, surveying her surroundings.  
  
To her left, a white river surged over a sharp cliff, raging down in a furious waterfall. Lying on her stomach and creeping forward, Hikaru peered over the cliff edge. The distance to the bottom was as dizzying as the sunlight had been at first.  
  
There was a thick forest to her right, which ended abruptly as the cliff dropped away at an angle very near nintey degrees. The sky was a healthy blue; a few clouds dotted the blueness, but the accumulation of stratuses advancing from the western horizon brought the promise of rain.  
  
As Hikaru got to her feet once again, she noticed the group on the other side of the wide river. They were all very tall and broad-shouldered --- probably strong men. They were plain brown robes with hoods that covered their heads and scarfs of various dark colors tied over their faces so that only their eyes were visible. They were picking up suspicious-looking sacks and tossing them over the waterfall.  
  
Hikaru felt something stir uneasily inside her as two men threw over a sack stained red in several places. "Hey!" she shouted at them, the words passing her lips without ever going through her mind. "What do you think you're doing?"  
  
Her voice could not be heard over the roar of the river, but her presence did not go unnoticed. A man with a forest-green scarf over his face hurried over to a man whose back was turned to Hikaru. He pointed towards her, and the other man turned.  
  
Hikaru's breath caught in her throat. He was taller than any of the other men, and the scarf covering his face was blood-red, the brightest color of all those in the group. Even across the river, she could see the fire and loathing in his eyes as his gaze fell upon her.  
  
The petite redhead shivered suddenly, stepping back slowly. She felt cold inside all of a sudden...  
  
Something wrapped itself around her upper arm. Hikaru heard a shrill scream, then realized it to be her own. By then, she was being dragged into the trees roughly.  
  
At last, she was released, also rather roughly; she fell against a tree, wincing and nearly falling.  
  
"You foolish girl," a feminine voice hissed, "do you want to be killed?"  
  
Hikaru clutched her throbbing elbow, glancing up. A woman stood before her in very pale gray robes similar to those the men in brown had worn. This woman's robes also had a hood; however, the hood draped low enough to hide her face in shadow. Only her pink lips were visible to Hikaru. "What... what do you mean?" she asked the woman.  
  
The lady, who was much taller than Hikaru, folded her arms across her chest. "They would have killed you if you had remained staring at them much longer."  
  
The redhead narrowed her eyes. The woman's voice sounded somewhat familiar. "Do I know you?"  
  
"Perhaps in name; perhaps in face. But no, you do not know me as I am, nor do you know my proper name."  
  
Hikaru grimaced. "Can you give me _some_ name to call you by?"  
  
The woman frowned as well, but her own frown was one of contemplation. At last, she offered, "Saffron." She stepped back from Hikaru slightly; out of the trees emerged more people in robes. There was one tall man, built much like those across the river, and he also wore a pale gray robe; Saffron introduced him as Bane. There was another man, as well, but he wore darker gray robes, and he was called Decept. The third and final one to appear was a tall, thin man, also wearing dark gray robes.  
  
"This is Hid---" Saffron began, but the tall man held out his hand suddenly to silence her. She cleared her throat, repeating herself: "This is Hawkwing."  
  
Hikaru stared at the new arrivals. All wore hoods that fell low over their faces; all stood as Saffron, with their arms crossed. Their mouths were grim, serious lines across their shadowed faces. When Decept spoke up, he spoke in the same monotone as Saffron had used.  
  
"Why are you so concerned with the absence of Nova?"  
  
Hikaru balked. "How... how do you know about Nova?" she asked.  
  
"We know much," Bane replied, his deep voice also expressionless. "However, what we do not know is why you are so distressed."  
  
The red-eyed girl pressed her hands over her heart. "Nova's part of me," she explained, her countenance pained, "and... I feel so empty without her. And... and I know she feels the same."  
  
"Nay," Saffron said, "Nova is well."  
  
Hikaru turned her gaze upon the woman. "What?"  
  
"She is in the care of the White Lady," Saffron said plainly. "She is both at peace and safe."  
  
"But..." Hikaru's expression was puzzled. "How can she be at peace... when we're apart like this? We're... we're _part_ of each other."  
  
The faintest of sympathetic smiles teased the corners of Saffron's mouth --- but then again, it may have simply been the sunlight shifting through the leaves overhead. "Nova is with the White Lady," she repeated. "The White Lady can calm any troubled heart."  
  
Hikaru slumped to the ground, leaning back against the tree she had stood by. "Now what?" she muttered, half to herself.  
  
The one called Hawkwing, who had remained silent until now, stepped out of the line, coming and standing in front of Hikaru. When he spoke, his voice was obviously masked with a deeper tone that what came naturally to him, and it quavered in a way that made Hikaru sure that his eyes were troubled behind the shadows. "Now you must learn your fate."  
  
He reached down a single hand, and Hikaru hesitantly reached up, accepting the offer. He helped her to her feet, then led her to the edge of the forest, standing near the curve of the cliff.  
  
Hawkwing pointed to a little valley nestled among the hills that lay below. "Do you see that?"  
  
Hikaru squinted, straining her eyes. In the valley lay a tiny village. She could almost make out the smoke rising in pillars from the chimneys. "Yes."  
  
"That is the village of Erin. The people there are... good people." His voice wavered again, and he paused to clear his throat before continuing. "However, there are those who dislike the people of Erin. There are those who wish to kill these kind folk."  
  
She turned to him, asking, "But... but who? Those men I saw at the river?"  
  
The dark hood nodded. "Yes."  
  
Hikaru's eyes widened. "Then those bags were full of---"  
  
"Yes." His voice was accutely pained, and the deep-toned disguise fell from it for a moment; Hikaru thought she knew the voice that lay beneath. But when Hawkwing spoke again, it was in the deep voice once more. "Yes, those were people of Erin."  
  
She stared out at the little town, her heart feeling heavy. "You're from Erin, aren't you?"  
  
There was a long pause. "Yes."  
  
Hikaru drew a slow, deep breath. She parted her lips to speak, but stopped and froze, startled and amazed.  
  
She could hear terrible cries echoing from over where the river was, loud enough to soar over the roar of the water. Hikaru knew, somewhere, that the men in brown were slaying more of the innocents of Erin.  
  
But that was not what made her stand so still, as though her feet were rooted into the ground like the trees around her. It was the feathers.  
  
The wind carried them across the cliff from the river. They danced before her --- white, black, blue, red, tawny, rusty, gray. Torn and cut from the backs of the people of Erin, feathers of all sizes and colors passed on the breeze, shifting and moving, until they grew so thick that Hikaru could not see past them. And then, suddenly, they were gone.  
  
A lump formed in Hikaru's throat; in the same instant, realization settled upon her mind.  
  
She turned to Hawkwing. "You are he that is called many names," she gasped, sounding as though she had lost her breath. "You are Songspinner, the White Hood, Hidden Wings."  
  
Hawkwing did not move.  
  
"Eagle." Hikaru's voice was soft, shaking.  
  
He turned away, moving back into the trees. He joined the line of robed people once again. Hikaru followed him.  
  
"Hikaru," said Decept, his voice calm. "Do you wish to know your mission, in full?"  
  
Her eyes rested upon the shadow that hid Eagle's face. "Yes."  
  
"You are to regain the Light of Emeraude, so that She Who Holds The Light may live. When the Light is given back to her, to its Owner, she will regain her true form, and she may take her place upon the throne once again.  
  
"Not until the Light is restored to its Owner will the seats of the High Council be filled," he continued. "Not until the seats are filled will this country be able to defend itself."  
  
Hikaru still did not lift her eyes from Eagle. "So. My purpose in playing the game is to save this country?"  
  
"Yes. Although---"  
  
"Although it really isn't a game, is it?" Hikaru did not shift her gaze. "It's a clever cover-up. Someone hears whispers about a game. Some say it's like a big maze you have to get through. Others say it's a virtual reality game. Others say it's all a big play, a hoax, like a haunted house. Yet others say it's The Great But Deadly Game, and it's as real as the world I live in."  
  
"Those whispers are heard only by those qualified to carry this burden upon their shoulders," Saffron said. "However, only one of the competitors may succeed."  
  
"And the rest die."  
  
"And the rest die," Saffron assured.  
  
Hikaru bit her lip nervously. "For real."  
  
"For real."  
  
The redhead's fingers traced the clip of her friction gun; suddenly, it felt useless. "This is very real, isn't it?"  
  
"As real as your own world," Bane said smoothly. "This is simply... another world."  
  
"Like another dimension."  
  
"Perhaps you would call it that in your world."  
  
Hikaru sighed, playing with her braid. She could not see Eagle's face, but felt his eyes upon her; she tore her gaze away, staring at the ground.  
  
Saffron turned towards the river suddenly, her lips parted in astonishment. Her companions grew visibly tense. Hikaru stared at them, confused.  
  
"They are approaching." Saffron turned, vanishing into the trees. Bane and Decept followed her.  
  
Eagle lingered a moment. He reached up, his fingertips brushing his hood as though he were about to pull it away from his face, but he stopped, then lowered his hand slowly. He did not move.  
  
Hikaru went to him, staring up beneath his hood, trying to see his face. She could not. She reached up one gloved hand --- she could just barely reach the dark gray fabric...  
  
He snatched her hand in his own. His voice came painfully: "No."  
  
She stared up into the darkness that hid his face, hurt. "Why?"  
  
Although his eyes were unvisible, he couldn't hide the thin tear that slid down his cheek into the lighted lower part of his face. "It is forbidden."  
  
There was a crashing in the trees to their right, in the direction of the river. Hikaru grasped his hand suddenly as he was already grasping hers. "Always?"  
  
"No." Eagle's voice was faint. "There will come a time when you may see my face again, Hikaru."  
  
"And your wings."  
  
There was a pause. "And my wings."  
  
He released her hand, turning and vanishing into the trees. The men still approached from the right. Hikaru remained where she stood, unable to look towards the advancing antagonists. She had failed, had she not? She had accomplished nothing in this level, and she could not leave until she did.  
  
The brown-robed men appeared, circling around Hikaru silently and instantly. The one with the bright red scarf over his face, obviously the leader, stood before her in the center of the circle. Hikaru's eyes were upon his hand as he slowly drew a long, curved sword from its sheath at his side.  
  
He brought the sword to hover at the base of her neck. She didn't dare swallow the lump in her throat. Tears stung her eyes, and she squeezed her eyelids shut against them.  
  
_Nova_, she cried silently, _I wish you were here!..._  
  
The men, the sword, and the trees were swallowed in the blackness. 


	10. Level 4 - Sublevel 1

Level 4 + The Stillness And The Scream  
Sublevel 1 + The High Council Lives  
  
  
When the darkness that filled the periods between the so-called "levels" vanished, Hikaru found herself wrapped in a gentle embrace. She realized that she felt a complete peace, an absolute security that she had never known before. Her heart was calm and quiet and filled with a gentle, soft kind of joy. She sighed, closing her eyes, wishing to remain as she was forever.  
  
"Hikaru."  
  
The redhead opened her eyes reluctantly, looking up into the woman's soft blue eyes. "Yes?"  
  
The small woman, who was not much taller than Hikaru herself, released the girl from her arms. "Do you remember?"  
  
Hikaru furrowed her brow, concentrating. Then, slowly, it returned to her --- her meeting with Saffron and Eagle, and the others... the men in brown coming for her. "But... I should have died," she whispered. "They should have killed me."  
  
"I saved you." The woman held Hikaru's gaze with her own. "I heard your plea, and I knew you could not die without knowing the fate of your dearest friend."  
  
The woman stepped back a little, and Hikaru saw that she wore a long white dress. Hikaru's eyes widened, and she interrupted, gasping, "You are the White Lady."  
  
"Yes. Hikaru, listen." The White Lady's eyes were somehow very sad. "Nova is safe with me. She has a duty to fulfill, and she cannot come back to you until she has done what she must do."  
  
Even though she had been told this before, Hikaru now could believe it completely, hearing it from the White Lady's lips. "O-okay." She nodded, understanding.  
  
The White Lady smiled. "Good. Now go, Hikaru, and meet your destiny."  
  
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+  
  
In the large hall where Fuu and Hikaru had been presented to Lantis before, a small group of people sat upon the floor in front of the platform where the five chairs stood. There were ten of them in all.  
  
Each person wore plain robes. Two wore black, and two wore dark gray. The other six were dressed very, very pale gray. The hoods that normally covered their faces were down, falling over their shoulders, for they were in the presence of themselves only. Nobody would interfere. Nobody would see their faces.  
  
"You should be careful, Eagle," said Presea tartly. "You must not grow close to any of the... ah... players."  
  
Eagle stared at the carpet beneath them. "But if all goes according to plan, won't she be staying anyway?"  
  
"You know what her destiny is," Zagato interjected. "You know what will happen."  
  
"But the other girl..."  
  
"Eagle." Ferio's voice was sharp. "It is... difficult, indeed, to not grow fond of the young ladies." His amber eyes clearly said what he would not speak. "But it is not allowed."  
  
"Oh, don' pick on Eagle," Caldina shot back. "He's jus' as human as you."  
  
"But we have obligations!" Geo protested.  
  
"That is true," Lantis agreed. "It's forbidden to give our loyalty to anyone but the Light and the White Lady."  
  
Eagle cast his gaze away.  
  
There was silence for a long time. Then, a thin figure in light gray spoke.  
  
"Maybe we've been wrong." Ascot peered up at the others through his bushy bangs. "Maybe the High Council shouldn't be as restrictive as it is."  
  
"Ascot!" several hushed, astonished voices murmured.  
  
"No, just listen." He stood up; in his taller form, he towered over the others who sat. "The White Lady has been telling us for a long time that we won't be on the Council forever. But we all know that once someone becames a Council Member, that position is permenant."  
  
The rest nodded slowly. He was making sense.  
  
"Maybe what she meant is that the duties of the High Council won't always be the same. Maybe we're due for a little reform."  
  
There was silence for another short period. Then, the smallest Member and most recent addition to the Council spoke.  
  
"I think Ascot's right," Aska said softly, playing with the folds of her pale gray robes nervously. "I think we need to be a little more human."  
  
The only person in the circle who had not yet spoken, the oldest and wisest of the Council, now took the floor. "The truth has been spoken," Clef confirmed. "The White Lady has indeed been hinting at this for a very long time. We, as the High Council, have restricted ourselves to the point of barely living. We eat, sleep, and breathe the White Lady. I believe this is not what she wants. I believe she does, in truth, want us to be our own selves as well as her servants."  
  
"But why?" Presea pleaded.  
  
A hush seemed to fall. Clef's voice was softer now. "The White Lady herself has so little freedom. She must devote all her time to the well-being of our country and the people in it. Perhaps she does not want that for her Council Members. Perhaps she wants us to live the lives she cannot."  
  
As his speech ended, the familiar silence of contemplation settled over the High Council. It was a long moment before anyone spoke again. 


	11. Level 4 - Sublevel 2

Level 4 + The Stillness And The Scream  
Sublevel 2 + Enlightened  
  
  
Nova walked with the woman who wore white. They were in the field of dandelions that Hikaru and the other girls had been in at the beginning.  
  
"Nova, do you know who you are?" the White Lady asked.  
  
"Yes," the pink-haired girl confirmed. "I am Nova, part of Hikaru."  
  
The White Lady turned her sad, soft eyes toward Nova. "Is that all you are?"  
  
Her companion stared back, puzzled. "What do you mean?"  
  
"Oh, Nova." The White Lady sighed. "You are part of Hikaru, just as Hikaru is part of you. And you feel an empty place in your heart when you and Hikaru are not together, yes?"  
  
"Yes..."  
  
"That empty place is the part of you that you have not yet come to know." The White Lady halted, turning and grasping Nova's hands in her own. "Nova, you are not just part of Hikaru. You are also your own person."  
  
Nova shook her head. "No. I'm... I'm Hikaru!"  
  
"You are Nova."  
  
"I'm _Hikaru_!"  
  
The White Lady tightened her grip on Nova's hands. "You are not listening. Yes, you are Hikaru. But that is only part of you. More than anything else, even more than you are Hikaru, you are Nova."  
  
"But..." Her red eyes brimmed with tears. "I've never been anything but Hikaru."  
  
A soft, sympathetic sigh escaped the White Lady. She sat in the tall grass, and Nova mirrored her. "Yes, Nova, you have always been part of Hikaru. But the time has come for you to leave that place."  
  
"But I love Hikaru."  
  
"And Hikaru loves you. But you must exist separately from one another now."  
  
Nova whined, "But _why_?"  
  
"Because," said the White Lady, "it is what you have been destined to do. It is why you were brought into my world. You cannot learn this in your own. Only here can you fulfill your destiny."  
  
"What is my destiny?" Nova's voice was barely a whisper.  
  
The White Lady brought her face very near to Nova's. "Your destiny," she said slowly, meaningfully, "is to be here, and to live in this land, and to accept the burden you must come to bear."  
  
The warm breeze suddenly felt chilly to Nova. "What is that burden?"  
  
The White Lady's eyes spilled over with tears. "You must bear the obligations of the Owner of the Light."  
  
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+  
  
Fuu found herself standing in a tiny room. It was a simple, square room, perfectly box-shaped. All the walls, the floor, and the ceiling were matching in size and shape. It was a plain, empty white box. There were no windows. There were no doors. There was no furniture. She couldn't even see where the light that lit it came from. It was bare.  
  
The blond girl shivered. She was not comfortable here. She sat in one corner, closing her eyes, her face tipped up towards the ceiling. She waited.  
  
She soon felt the presence of another in the room. Fuu would not open her eyes, though, for fear of what she would see.  
  
Something --- a hand --- touched her head. A little gasp of surprise escaped her; her eyes flew open.  
  
Ferio smiled. "Hello, Fuu."  
  
She stared back at him. There was no malice in his warm golden eyes. "Why have you come?"  
  
He sat in front of her. He was not wearing what he had been when they had last met. Now he wore plain, dark gray robes. A hood was pushed back over his shoulders. "You have done what you came to do, Fuu." He smiled. "You managed to rescue the Light of Emeraude without succumbing to its temptations."  
  
Fuu glanced away. She had, by now, realized what had made her tremble and cry upon discovering the Light.  
  
_I can take away all your fears,_ the soft voice had said. _I can take away those capabilities that you hate --- those mental enhancements. I can even rid you of the memory of how you came to get them. You would love that, would you not?_  
  
She had wanted to accept it so badly. She had wanted to shatter the glass sphere and let the cold Light wash over her and steal away her troubles. But she had not. She had promised she would not.  
  
"I never did wish ill upon you," Ferio was now saying. "It was a duty to act as though I did."  
  
"You had to test me," Fuu said quietly. "You had to see whether I was qualified to seek the Light of Emeraude."  
  
Ferio shook his head. "We knew you were qualified. If you weren't, you would not have been allowed to enter our world. But you weren't strong enough yet. You had many things left to learn. Those things had to be taught to you."  
  
"Such as accepting myself the way I am," she whispered.  
  
"Yes."  
  
Fuu hugged her knees to her chest, glancing up at him. "Now what must I do?"  
  
He smiled sadly. "Wait," he said. "The time will come when everything will be clear at last."  
  
The jade-eyed girl chewed her lip nervously. "She will die, won't she?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
A deep sigh escaped her. "I do not know that I like this world and its ways."  
  
Ferio stared at her, an unreadable expression on his face. "I don't know if I do, either."  
  
Their eyes met, and they sat for a long time. 


	12. Level 4 - Sublevel 3

Level 4 + The Stillness And The Scream  
Sublevel 3 + The Fire, Extinguished  
  
  
The White Lady was gone. Hikaru stood now in the middle of a small clearing in the middle of a forest.  
  
The forest was unlike any she had ever seen. All the plants were red: their bark and stems a deep mahogany, their leaves ranging from cranberry to blood, from claret to strawberry, from ruby to dark pink. The sky was hidden by the crimson leaves, so she didn't know if that was red. The grass beneath her white-and-red boots was a dark shade of cherry.  
  
Little points of light, a bit like fireflies, danced around her. It occured to Hikaru that she fit in these woods well, with her red hair and eyes and the red parts of her armor. She sighed, falling back on the grass, closing her eyes and letting the warm air of the forest wrap around her.  
  
After a short period of silence, Hikaru heard a rustling in the bushes. She sat up, alert.  
  
From the foliage emerged a tall, thin man wearing black robes. His hair and eyes were dark, blending in a nice way with all the red. She recognized him as Lantis.  
  
Lantis did not speak, but held out his hand in a gesture for her to stand and follow him. Wordlessly, Hikaru got to her feet. Lantis turned and disappeared into the trees. She followed.  
  
There was an eerie silence about them. Hikaru shivered as they walked. Suddenly, away from the clearing full of bright, dancing lights, the red forest felt cold and oppressing.  
  
They came to another clearing. Hikaru could see that, at the other side, there was a tall pillar carved of a reddish stone. Atop it sat a little sphere of cold, white light: the Light of Emeraude.  
  
But in the center of the clearing, between Lantis and the Light, stood five men in brown robes with dark-colored cloths stretched over their faces. The man in the middle had a bright red cloth on his face.  
  
Hikaru's blood ran cold.  
  
Lantis's hand rested upon her shoulder. She felt sympathy from him. "You must retrieve the Light," he said softly.  
  
She turned her small face up to him. Their eyes met, and she knew, just as well as he did. Both of their hearts ached for what would be lost.  
  
"I must meet my destiny," she whispered. Then she turned away from him and stepped forward.  
  
As she began walking toward the men, she felt a warmth deep inside herself. It billowed out from the core of her being, shuddered past her skin, becoming a reality. Flames danced around her, sealing her inside them. She felt their heat, but it was soothing, not painful. The fire cradled her. She was ready to accept what was coming.  
  
The man with the red scarf raised his sword. His minions did the same.  
  
As they ran at her, Hikaru stood still. She let them come. When they were two sword-lengths away, she let out a deep, pained, wild scream; and as she screamed, the fire shot out in all directions, consuming the men in brown and the red trees. The only things it did not touch were Lantis and the Light of Emeraude --- it wove around them, and they stood in little pockets of air inside the flame.  
  
Hikaru's scream burned as terribly as the fire. In that cry, she relinquished all: her heart, her mind, her body. This was not her home anymore. She no longer could stay here. She was not a child of the earth any longer.  
  
Anguish and pain and regret and fear poured out from her, fueling the raging fire. The men in brown had halted, were sheilding their faces with their arms. They cried out in pain, but their screams were drowned out by Hikaru's.  
  
And as she screamed, she gave up ownership of herself. She had no right to make any more decisions on her own behalf, and she communicated that. She was no longer Hikaru. She was dead.  
  
As the scream died, so did the fire die. As soon as it did, the man with the red cloth over his face staggered forward, driving his blade into Hikaru.  
  
She collapsed. Her eyes shut, her breath stilled. She was no more, and that was what she wanted, what she could not avoid. This was what was to happen. This was her destiny.  
  
Her blood could not be distinguished from the bright red grass. 


	13. Level 5 - Sublevel 1

Level 5 + Miracles In The Making  
Sublevel 1 + Her Own Person  
  
  
In the hall of the High Council, four of the five chairs that sat upon the low platform were filled. Lantis sat in the one to the far right; Zagato in the second. On the opposite side, Eagle sat in the one furthest to the left, and Ferio sat next to him. The middle chair remained unoccupied.  
  
There were now two small tables set up on either side of the platform, forming three sides of a square. Three sat at each table, all in pale gray robes. At the right table, Caldina sat nearest the platform, with Ascot in the center and Aska on the end. At the other table, Clef sat nearest the platform, while Presea was in the center and Geo on the end.  
  
The High Council was silent. They were not here to discuss at the moment --- they were here to wait.  
  
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+  
  
"You have chosen to accept your destiny, correct?"  
  
Nova nodded in response to the White Lady's question. "Yes. I... I'm not very brave all the time, and I _am_ scared. But I accept."  
  
The fair-haired woman smiled. "Good. Then let us begin the preparations. We must present you to the High Council."  
  
The field of dandelions disappeared, and Nova found herself in a small room with polished wooden floorboards and whitewashed walls. It was mostly bare, save for a tiny little circular platform that sat in front of a series of three full-length mirrors in one corner; a wide wardrobe that sat in the opposite corner; and a small, white table that sat against one wall with a chair pulled up to it and mirror above it.  
  
The White Lady opened the wardrobe doors, peering inside. She called Nova over. "Let me look at you."  
  
She pulled out different articles of clothing, holding them up near Nova and making little noises of frustration. At last, however, she found something she liked, smiled, and draped the clothing over one of her arms.  
  
"Please take off your clothes, Nova," she requested. "You'll need to change."  
  
Hesitantly, the pink-haired girl obeyed. She stood, shivering, her clothing piled on the floor near her, her arms crossed self-conciously over her chest. The White Lady handed her a white cotton chemise, which Nova pulled over her head gratefully.  
  
Humming softly to herself, the White Lady picked up a plain, pale pink sleeveless dress. She handed it to Nova, who slipped it on, glancing down at herself as the White Lady moved behind her, buttoning up the back. The dress fit snugly over her torso, then fell loosely from her hips. She smiled a little. It was comfy.  
  
Her companion gave her another dress, this one a deep crimson, and Nova got into it with a bit of difficulty. This one had long sleeves that traveled slightly past her wrists over the backs of her hands; they were fitted along her upper arm, then fell away at the elbow and down. At her waist, the red cloth parted and swept away, revealing the pink skirt underneath. The White Lady stood behind her, lacing up the dress from the waistline up to the neckline.  
  
After putting on a pair of simple shoes that matched the second dress in color, Nova let the White Lady usher her over to the little platform with the mirrors. She took in her breath sharply as she caught a glimpse of herself in the glass.  
  
"You look beautiful," the White Lady sighed.  
  
Nova turned to one side, then the other, then turned with her back to mirror and looked over her shoulder at herself. "I... I look so different."  
  
"It becomes you." The White Lady beckoned for her to step down, and she did. The woman in the white dress led her over to the white table, instructing her to sit in the chair.  
  
When Nova had seated herself, the White Lady opened a drawer in the side of the table, revealing a series of brushes, combs, and the like. Nova groaned. The White Lady laughed softly, picking up an ivory brush. "Just sit still, my dear. I'll be gentle."  
  
She was. The White Lady managed, somehow, to work out the tangles in Nova's wild, knee-length hair without causing its owner any pain. She could not, however, tame the energetic waves in it, not even after trying several different combs. "Perhaps it's better that I don't," she said with a smile. "It has character this way."  
  
Once Nova's hair was brushed, the White Lady returned to the wardrobe, pulling out a light mantle made of a darker red than Nova's dress, a near-black color. She set it over Nova's shoulders, tying the string in front. She smiled. "Are you ready to face the High Council?"  
  
Nova fidgeted. She was far from ready. "Um... yeah."  
  
"Then let us go."  
  
Nova hesitated. "Um... could I ask a question first?"  
  
The sad, sapphire eyes smiled back. "Certainly."  
  
"What..." She fumbled over her words nervously. "Um, what should I call you?"  
  
The White Lady smiled gently, grasping Nova's hand in hers. "You may call me by my real name," she murmured. "Call me Emeraude."  
  
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+  
  
The High Council sat in their respective seats, hoods pulled down over their faces to shadow their features. They all stared toward the main doors, awating what they knew was coming.  
  
At last, the heavy doors creaked open. Emeraude, the White Lady, the Owner of the Light of Emeraude, stepped inside. She glided up the white carpet, a pretty young girl clad in red drifting behind her.  
  
Emeraude nodded to each of the High Council. "I now present to the Council the Lady Nova."  
  
The woman in the white dress swept herself away, taking her seat in the center chair upon the platform. Out of nowhere, two young servants emerged, carrying pillows with delicate articles set upon them. One had the princess's small, simple tiara, which she handed to Emeraude with a deep curtsy. As Emeraude put it on, the second servant approached. She fell to her knees and bowed her head, holding out the soft, plush pillow. Upon it sat the glowing sphere that contained the Light of Emeraude.  
  
Emeraude lifted the little glass sphere in her two small hands; the servant retreated, vanishing. The sad-eyed woman slowly embraced the Light, and it melted into her body, releasing a warmth and radiance that was not present in the past.  
  
The princess sat up a bit straighter now. A calmness seemed to have fallen over the hall.  
  
"Nova," Emeraude said gently, "has been told of the role she is meant to play."  
  
Uncomfortable as she stood before the platform and between the two long tables, Nova shifted her weight between her feet nervously. She glanced at all the Council members --- their faces were shrouded.  
  
"Does she understand it in full?" asked Presea calmly.  
  
"Quite," Emeraude confirmed.  
  
Clef spoke next. "And she has accepted her destiny?"  
  
"Yes." Emeraude's deep marine eyes met Nova's tear-filled blood-red ones. "Nova has agreed to take up my position as the new Owner of the Light.  
  
"And," she continued, "it shall no longer be known as the Light of Emeraude, but now as the Light of Nova."  
  
The pink-haired girl blushed, muttering to herself, "It doesn't sound quite as good."  
  
"My dear, it doesn't matter how it sounds. All that matters is how you handle it."  
  
Nova bit her lip, squeezing her eyes shut against tears. Damn, why was she crying? She never cried. "I... I'm..." Internally, she cursed her stammering. "I'm..." Nova drew a deep, slow breath, calming herself and attempting to maintain her pride. "High Council, I'm very frightened."  
  
"That is understandable," Geo replied evenly. "The responsibility you are taking up is no light one." Her was rewarded with a simple nod from Nova.  
  
A deep, soul-shuddering sigh escaped the cranberry-eyed girl. She placed one hand over her chest, longing for the aching emptiness to be there, all the while knowing that it was not and never would be again. She was Nova. Hikaru was Hikaru. They were separate --- they _had_ to be separate - and she would have to be her own person now.  
  
An odd determination began to burn in her heart. Nova snapped her head up, her fiery eyes piercing those of Emeraude. "Tell me what to do." 


	14. Level 5 - Sublevel 2

Level 5 + Miracles In The Making  
Sublevel 2 + All Fall Down  
  
  
Ferio had gone, but Fuu still sat in the little white room. She was no longer afraid, though. Everything was over at last. The game --- though it really wasn't a game at all --- was finally finished. Now she could return home...  
  
But the deaths of Umi and Hikaru were heavy upon her heart. How could she return to her normal life, knowing that they had died? They hadn't been friends, really, but there was a sort of strange bond between them, one that might have evolved into friendship, had it been given time.  
  
Fuu sighed. Nothing was ever easy.  
  
As she sat thinking upon this, one of the white walls vanished. She sat up, startled. Through the hole that now existed across from her, Fuu could see a small meadow full of posies, daisies, and countless other flowers. In the distance, though not too far away, a huge castle that seemed to be constructed of a kind of gray stone was enclosed within a huge, white marble wall.  
  
Fuu rose to her feet shakily. She stepped forward to the opening in the box, gazing out. Nearby, just slightly to her right, were a group of small children. Their hands were joined, and they danced in a circle, singing a song that Fuu knew very well.  
  
"_Ring around the rosy,  
Pockets full of posies,  
Ashes, ashes,  
All fall down!_"  
  
As they uttered the word _down_, the children flung one child out of the circle. That one remained standing while the rest collapsed, pretending to be dead. The child who stood, a pale little girl with long, golden blond hair, surveyed the ones on the ground carefully. At long last, she tagged all but one of them. Those she tagged got to their feet and joined her in the forming of another circle. The child who had not been tapped, another little girl but with flaming orange hair tied in two pigtails, remained lying on the ground as though dead.  
  
Something about the innocent game made Fuu uneasy. All too well, she could see a similarity between the children's play and the events that had just transpired in her life.  
  
As a little boy with dark, shaggy hair was left for dead on the grass, the game halted. The children turned to stare at Fuu; they whispered amongst themselves. Then, after a moment, a few of the boys and girls came forward, taking Fuu's hands. "Must come to the castle," the insisted. "Must see the Princess."  
  
Fuu didn't argue. She allowed the children to lead her across the flowered meadow, through the white wall, across a courtyard, and into the great gray castle. They walked through many passages and chambers, eventually emerging in another courtyard that Fuu recognized. She had come here when she and Hikaru... had walked through that very long hallway from the chapel.  
  
After going through more hallways and rooms and passageways, the children eventually led Fuu to the huge doors that she knew led to the hall where she and Hikaru had been presented to Lantis. It felt like so long ago...  
  
The children, surprisingly, pushed the doors open and motioned for Fuu to go inside.  
  
The blond girl began the long walk up the white carpet. She took in the scene before her, which was much different than it had been the first time she had been in here.  
  
The platform with the five chairs was still there. In the center chair sat the woman Fuu had seen in the mist in the fountain where she had found the Light of Emeraude. This must be the White Lady, the Owner of the Light of Emeraude, the Princess. This must be Emeraude herself.  
  
At Emeraude's right hand, to Fuu's left, sat two men in dark gray robes, their hoods pulled down over their faces. On the other side, two men in black robes sat.  
  
Two tables flanked the platform, arranged to form three sides of a square, with Fuu standing where the fourth side should have been. There were three people at each table, all wearing light gray robes, the hoods low.  
  
What most astounded Fuu was the girl sitting at Emeraude's feet. She wore a dark red dress with a pink underskirt and a deep, almost black red mantle. Her long, dark pink hair was wild; her cranberry eyes were familiar. Fuu knew who she must be.  
  
"Nova?..."  
  
Emeraude nodded, one hand resting on Nova's head gently. "Nova is to take my place as the Owner of the Light and governor of this land."  
  
Fuu stared at Nova, dumbfounded. "But... but I heard you. I heard you inside Hikaru-san!"  
  
"Hikaru and I were the same, once," Nova answered, her voice very soft and shaky. "But Emeruade told me how that couldn't be, how it was Hikaru who had to... play the game, I guess. I was the one who had a destiny to fulfill here."  
  
Emeraude stared at Fuu for a long moment in silence. Then, at last, she commanded, "High Council, remove your hoods."  
  
The people in the robes obeyed immediately. Fuu stared, astounded.  
  
The man to Emeraude's immediate right hand, one in the dark gray robes, was none other than Ferio. But his eyes told Fuu to remain silent as the others lowered their hoods.  
  
The man next to Ferio had a thin, kind face and pale blond hair. On Emeraude's other side, the man at her immediate left hand in the black robes lowered his hood to reveal narrow eyes and long, jet-black hair: Zagato. Next to him sat Lantis, and the two looked so similar, Fuu concluded there must be a relation.  
  
At the table on the right, the person in pale gray who sat nearest the platform revealed herself to be a woman with deeply tanned skin, bright blue eyes, and cotton-candy pink hair. In the middle was a young man with bushy brown hair that hung low over his eyes, and at the end sat a young girl with pale skin and dark hair that Fuu immediately recognized as Aska.  
  
At the left table, the one nearest the platform was the small, lavender-haired Clef whom Fuu had met earlier. In the middle was Presea, her deep brown eyes still warm but very narrow and serious; on the end sat the muscular figure of Geo.  
  
"Present yourselves," said Emeraude.  
  
All of the members of the High Council stated their names. The man with the light blond hair was Eagle; the tan woman was Caldina; the boy with the bushy hair was Ascot. Fuu was already familiar with the rest of their names, but she was startled at how calm and serious and stately their voices sounded now.  
  
"You have been called before this Council," continued Emeraude, "because you have a choice to make, Hououji Fuu. It will not be an easy choice, not for someone of your character, but it is a very important one, so I pray you to think it over before answering.  
  
"Nova here must stay in this world. I cannot handle my position much longer. I have grown too weak to manage the Light properly, and I need someone younger and stronger of heart to replace me. Nova is the best applicant, for her spirited nature and strength of heart."  
  
"But what about Hikaru-san?" Fuu interrupted, feeling as though she shouldn't have spoken. "Hikaru-san is both spirited and strong. Why did she have to die? Why could _she_ not have taken your place along with Nova, if they are one?"  
  
Emeraude shook her head slowly. "They had to be permenantly separated. Hikaru's heart is strong, but she is not realistic in her thoughts and feelings and decisions. She believes in fairy-tale endings and world peace. I know that those are good things, but they are unrealistic. Hikaru does not have a proper grasp on reality. Nova does.  
  
"And aside from that, Hikaru, while certainly strong of heart, is not capable of handling the Light. Please, dear Fuu, do not question my judgement."  
  
Fuu swallowed nervously, curtseying a bit in apology. "Of course, my Lady."  
  
Emeraude nodded. "Now. Your decision.  
  
"You have the option of returning to your own world in peace and living your life out normally. However," the blond woman continued slowly, "if you choose to do this, Umi and Hikaru will die."  
  
"Wait." Fuu snapped her head up, surprised. "I thought they had already died!"  
  
Emeraude shook her head. "No, but they were close to it. As their lives were leaving them, I took them away from their situations and transported them to a safe place. They are held in suspension there. If you choose to leave, the suspension will be lifted, and they will truly die. However, this is your second choice.  
  
"If you should choose to stay here, in our world, and spend the rest of your days seated upon my High Council --- which will be Nova's Council soon --- then Umi and Hikaru will both live, and they will have the choice of remaining here or returning home."  
  
Fuu was silent a long moment before asking, "If Umi-san and Hikaru-san decide to stay, what will they do?"  
  
"Hikaru will be my personal caretaker," Emeraude explained, "as I will be much weaker without the Light supporting me. Umi may be apprentice to one of those upon the High Council so she may join one day, or she may join the Royal Guard as a protector of the Light and its Owner."  
  
"And if they return home?"  
  
"They will have no memory of this place, nor of the so-called 'game.' They will live out their lives in your world in whatever way they choose."  
  
Fuu let out a deep sigh. Her eyes swept over the High Council, meeting each of their eyes briefly. Geo was encouraging; Presea was calm and indifferent; Clef was begging her to be wise. Eagle was pleading something from her, something she couldn't quite understand; Ferio... Ferio was asking her to stay; Emeraude's gaze was unreadable; Nova's was sad, somehow, not asking anything of Fuu; Zagato was grateful to her and encouraging; Lantis was unreadable, as always. Caldina was smiling, her eyes telling Fuu to be calm; Ascot's eyes were hidden, but his expression was similar to Eagle's; Aska was beaming and begging Fuu to stay.  
  
A heavy, still silence settled over the great hall as Fuu battled with herself.  
  
_You must stay. It is not fair to let Umi-san and Hikaru-san die.  
  
But it is not fair to you to stay. You have a right to a life of your own!  
  
But how could you do this to them?_  
  
Her eyes met Ferio's again, and she found herself unable to look away. He was trying to tell her something...  
  
Fuu closed her eyes, concentrating, and reached out mentally, taking Ferio's hand in her mind. As their minds slipped together, she heard him.  
  
**I don't know you well, Fuu. But I want to. You're the most amazing person I've ever met. You'd do so much good for us here. I know it's your decision, but... I want you to stay. I think we need you. Can... can you consider it?**  
  
She broke out, opening her eyes and sending him a quiet gaze. Fuu then glanced at each of the people before her once more, then locked her eyes with Emeraude's, drawing a deep breath.  
  
"I will stay." 


	15. Level 5 - Sublevel 3

Level 5 + Miracles In The Making  
Sublevel 3 + Parchment And Posies  
  
  
"Lady Nova. Lady Nova!"  
  
Nova snapped out of her reverie, blinking. "Y-yes?"  
  
Aska, the youngest of her High Council, stood before her. "Lady Nova, I have a message for you from the White Lady." The small girl held out a little packet.  
  
With a smile, Nova accepted the packet. "Thank you, Aska-san. Now you'd better hurry, or you'll miss tea with Lady Fuu."  
  
"Oh, that's right!" Aska turned, running off, calling back over her shoulder, "Thank you, Lady Nova!"  
  
Still smiling, Nova opened the packet. It contained a folded piece of parchment and a tiny bunde of posies. Nova smiled. Emeraude always remembered her favorite flowers.  
  
Setting the posies on the table next to her, Nova unfolded the parchment, beginning to read the regal, swooping black letters.  
  
_Dearest Nova,  
  
I do hope life as the Owner of the Light is suiting you well. I apologize for not visiting --- I haven't been well lately. Don't worry, though. Hikaru is taking good care of me.  
  
Fuu brings me daily reports from the High Council. She says you're doing a splendid job. Are the problems with the Heiat people worked out yet? I do hope that is resolved soon. I trust you with the matter.  
  
I've been told that you're the only one who doesn't know yet of the blossoming relationship of Lady Fuu and Councilor Ferio. How can you not notice? Silly girl, you must stop taking your work so seriously. You need not devote every waking hour to it. That was my mistake, and that is why we reformed the system, remember? Keep up on the gossip, dear, it's quite interesting.  
  
Speaking of blossoming relationships, Umi came to me recently with a bit of a dilemma. It seems that Councilor Ascot has developed quite an affection for her --- something which I was already aware of. Poor Umi. She's so distressed. I think she's rather taken with him, though. She just doesn't know it yet.  
  
Yes, our newest additions to the castle are all doing well. As I said, Fuu visits me often, and she is quite well, as is Umi, who is making a marvelous guard. Perhaps she'll be Captain soon! And Hikaru is getting along wonderfully. She spends most of her time away from me with Lantis, Eagle, Fuu, and Umi, and Ferio as well. She is adapting very well. I am quite glad she decided to stay here.  
  
And we are all infinitely thankful to you, Nova. If you had not chosen to accept the burden placed upon you, this country would have crumbled. We owe you our very lives.  
  
Now, I'm afraid, I must end this letter. I'm joining Lady Fuu and Aska for tea this afternoon, and I'll have to change and wash up beforehand. I'll try to visit you soon, Nova.  
  
  
Eternal gratitude and love,  
Emeraude_  
  
Nova folded the letter up again, placing it on the corner of the table. She picked up the posies, sniffing them briefly, then tucking them into her dress pocket as she rose to her feet. She went to the huge window, sitting on the wide sill and gazing out.  
  
The country was so beautiful now. The warmth of the Light filled every chasm, every corner. With the reformed system, Nova didn't have to devote her every hour to controlling the Light and the world; now, the Light was stronger and more stable, and it didn't need its Owner to hold it every moment. Nova was free to live a very normal life, though, despite the long hours she spent in with the Council or in private control of the Light. She had freedom that Emeraude had not had, and she knew how fortunate she was.  
  
She was so glad that Fuu had decided to stay. Not only had Hikaru and Umi lived, but they had decided to stay, as well. It hadn't been easy for them, but they were all so much happier this way. Nova sighed softly. She would have missed them so if they had left.  
  
Rising to her feet slowly, Nova slipped her hand inside her pocket, touching the petals of the posies briefly. She headed for the door, hoping Emeraude, Fuu, and Aska would be willing to welcome another for tea. 


End file.
